Las cosas malas
by NayaFan
Summary: The Fabrays and Lopez families are infamous in the trade of illegal activities, when the patriarchs and their wives were murdered, their children took over from them. Unholy trinity, partial Faberrittana. Rated M for a reason.
1. Chapter 1

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**This is a little different than my usual stories but I hope you guys enjoy it all the same.**_

_**I've been dealing with some bad news lately so I've been writing this fic as a way to escape things for a while. I will still be writing my other fics.**_

_**The Fabrays and Lopez families are infamous in the trade of illegal activities, when the patriarchs and their wives were murdered when Quinn and Santana are only nineteen, their children took over from them. Anyone who wanted anything illegal done, call upon the now married Quinn and Santana. Committing crimes to cover other crimes has pushed them deep into a dark world where their loved ones and livelihood are under constant threat from the competition. Story starts ten years after the deaths of their parents.**_

Chapter 1

Santana watches in silent fury as Finn leads Detective Schuester into the library where she is sitting on an over stuffed armchair. She eyes the man's sweater vest in disgust, standing up and shaking his out-stretched hand. The Latina notices Quinn entering the room behind the two men, one sharp look from her hazel eyes dismisses Finn, the tall awkward man stumbling in his haste to comply.

"Detective" Quinn greets with a polite smile, shaking his hand. "What can we do for you?" she asks, gesturing for the man to sit down, both women doing the same thing.

"I received a call from Leroy Berry this morning, his daughter didn't come home from work this morning, I understand she is a maid here" Will Schuester states, looking back and forth between Quinn's concerned expression and the latina's impassive one.

"I'm afraid that you're mistaken, Miss Berry hasn't worked here for almost a month. We had to let her go. She grew a little too fond of our good china, if you know what I mean" Santana replies, staring back at him with dark unreadable eyes. The older man frowns, pulling a small black notebook and a pen from his pocket, scribbling something down before turning his attention back to the women.

"Mr Berry told us she was definitely working here yesterday" the detective argues, his ice blue eyes boring into them.

"I don't know what to tell you Detective, she hasn't worked here in weeks, you are more than welcome to ask any of the staff" Quinn informs him coolly. "Maybe she was too embarrassed to tell her parents that she was fired. I'm sure she's out there, looking for another job right now" she adds, the detective growing uncomfortable under her strong gaze.

"Now if there's nothing else, we have plans that we simply cannot cancel" Santana says in a bored voice, noticing Karofsky hovering in the doorway. "Mr Karofsky here will show you out" she adds, gesturing to the door of the library.

"Of course. Thank you for your time" Will smiles tightly, standing and walking over to their personal guard and following him down the hall. The women sit in silence, waiting for the news to come through that the detective has left the complex, a small sigh of relief leaving Quinn's lips. Deep brown eyes meet beautiful hazel as they study each other, Quinn's fingers drumming on the arm of her chair, the only sign of her slipping composure, Santana's face still a mask of indifference, only those who know her well enough can see emotion in her eyes.

"He's gone" Karofsky states, appearing in the doorway, another guard standing behind him.

"Good, Anderson,find Puckerman and tell him to go to my office and wait for me there" Santana orders, her eyes lowering to the cell phone she pulls from her pocket, nimble fingers sending a quick text.

"He's training the new guard, ma'am" he responds nervously, unable to bring himself to look at the powerful women in the library.

"I don't give a damn. I give the orders" the latina snaps, Karofsky smirking as the young man pretty much runs to do as his boss bids him to. "How did it go last night?" she asks, looking up at the burly man.

"Perfectly Ma'am, they're safe. Matt won't allow anything to happen to them" Dave informs her.

"Good job Karofsky, you can go. I'll call you if I need you" Santana tells him, waiting until he leaves before gracefully rising from her chair and walking over to Quinn, kneeling down and placing her hands on the woman's knees. "Things will be okay" the latina murmurs. "That greasy detective is no match for us" she adds, tipping her weight forward and pressing a warm, gentle kiss to Quinn's lips. The brunette swipes her tongue along the other woman's bottom lip, the blonde parting her lips and allowing her entry. Their kiss comes to an organic end, the latina resting her forehead against her wife's, looking into her eyes, silently conveying her love.

0-00-0

Quinn smiles softly at the sleeping blonde laying on the huge double bed in their living quarters, looking down at her peaceful face. She slumps down on the antique chair that sits in front of the dresser table, unable to keep the smile, that always appears when she's around Brittany, from her face. She watches the younger woman sleep, thinking about how only a year ago she was just another servant and now shares her and Santana's bed. The twenty nine year old woman gazes fondly as the twenty year old starts to wake up, her blue eyes finally flickering open, a sleepy grin taking over her face as she notices the other woman.

"Hi" Brittany whispers when Quinn moves to sit on the bed, brushing strands of silky blonde hair from the girl's face with her fingers. "Are the others here?" she asks.

"Santana is" Quinn responds simply, noting the dark look that flashes across Brittany's face. "We had to do it sweetheart, there was no other way" Hazel eyes plead with the taller woman.

"You knew I didn't want this to happen so you waited until I was asleep?" Quinn eyes the girl warily, never before had she seen anger on her porcelain face. She twists her body out of the way as Brittany pushes passed her, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt, throwing them on and stalking out of the bedroom and into the livingroom.

"Where are you going?" Quinn demands, following her as the tall blonde opens the door to leave her mistresses' living quarters. "Do not even think about leaving until I call Chang to escort you" she tells her, "Brittany!" The ex servant freezes at the stern tone of voice, turning to see a mask of anger on the older woman's face. "You have the right to be angry but I will not allow you to place yourself in danger by leaving without a guard" Quinn informs her. Brittany nodding, folding her arms and looking every bit like the petulant teen she used to be not so long ago.

_**This chapter is just to set the scene and to see if you guys like the idea of this story. Drop me a review to let me know what you think.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original chracters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you for all the reviews and thank you to everyone who has put this story on their alert lists. I am thrilled that you guys are liking this.**_

_**I know that you guys are looking for answers on some things and these will become apparent as the story goes on.**_

Chapter 2

Santana enters the dining room to find her two blondes already sitting down, their faces grim. The Latina pulls her white suit jacket from her body, hanging it on the back of her chair and sitting at the head of the table, Quinn on the opposite end and Brittany between them. Her gaze meets Quinn's hazel orbs, silently asking if Brittany is up to speed, a nod in affirmation causes her to sigh softly. The three women remain silent as Tina enters with a pot of coffee, pouring some into Santana and Quinn's china cups without needing to ask. Finn enters the room behind her, a glass of lemonade in one hand and a jar of breadsticks in the other. He places the glass in front of Brittany and the jar in the centre of the table.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes, mistress Santana" the Asian woman states, receiving a stiff nod in response as she and Finn back out of the room.

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Brittany demands, irritated by the latina's silent scrutinising.

"Excuse me?" Santana asks, perfectly shaped eyebrows rising in surprise at the blonde's tone of voice.

"You tricked me, you let me think it was off but then you just waited until I was asleep and went ahead with it anyway and now you don't even say anything to me about it!" the blue eyed younger woman hisses.

"I didn't think it would be an appropriate dinner conversation and you would do well to watch your tone. You may not work for us anymore but you still need to show respect" the Latina responds in an icy voice, her eyes flashing. Quinn sends her wife a look from across the table, knowing that even though Brittany loves them and knows that they love her, she had seen first hand when she worked for them just how dangerous each woman could be and still felt fearful when they got angry. "We did what we had to do" Santana adds softly as she takes a sip of coffee. "You may not like it but it was for the best and it's only for a little while" she says, her gaze softening as she looks over at the blue eyes of the young woman who shared her bed.

"Can I help you?" Quinn questions, looking over at a man blonde man lingering in the doorway.

"I'm Sam Evans, I'm new here and I was looking for the bathroom" the man says nervously.

"Well Mr Evans, I'm sure Puckerman has told you where the staff facilities are and this clearly isn't the ground floor so I suggest you go downstairs to continue your search" Quinn replies firmly, waving him away with her hand, not missing the small smirk on Brittany's face. "What do we know about him?" she asks Santana once the new guard is gone.

"He's a friend of Puckerman, if he says he's good then he's good" the latina replies simply. Quinn nods in agreement, looking over at Brittany who gives her a small smile, blushing and ducking her head at the warm adoring smile the other blonde gives her. They fall back into silence as Tina and Finn bring their food into the room, placing a plate in front of all of them before discreetly leaving the room. Quinn's cell phone buzzes in her pocket, breaking the comfortable silence, she looks down at it, sighing and standing up.

"Cortez" she says simply to Santana. "I can handle it" she adds. "Just think about why we did it, okay?" Quinn says to Brittany, pressing a gentle kiss to the woman's forehead before walking to Santana. "Stay calm" she murmurs to the latina, too low for Brittany to hear. The raven haired woman nods, accepting the warm kiss that her wife places onto her lips, her mouth quirking into the smallest of smiles as Quinn leaves the room.

0-00-0

Power and confidence radiates from Santana as she strides down the hall , Karofsky silently following her as his boss looks for Brittany. She reaches the stairs, continuing down them into the staff living quarters, finding Puck about to leave the back door to head out to the cottage he lived in on the grounds. Being one of the few people around the latina that she had allowed to actually know her, the man knows instantly that there is something going on.

"Go relieve Evans from his patrol, Chang will be there to take over from you in thirty minutes and then you can retire for the night" Puck orders. He waits for the guard to leave before he turns to look at the woman who was more his friend than his boss. "What's going on?"

"I can't find Brittany. She was pissed once she found out we went ahead with the plan but she seemed calmer at dinner. I had Karofsky search upstairs but she's not up there" Santana states and Puck pulls his radio from it's clip, speaking into it and waiting for a response while shooting the latina a reassuring wink. The radio crackles for a few seconds before the response comes through, stating that Brittany is with Sam. Puck tells them to stay were they are and motions for the latina to follow him, walking out of the building and jumping into the black landrover, not bothering to hold the passenger door open for Santana like the other staff members did.

"She's fine, Evans is a good man. He just doesn't know all the rules yet" Puck murmurs to the latina as they drive across the compound, nodding a greeting to the various guards that they drive passed. "I'll make sure he knows that she's off limits" he adds, only receiving a nod in response. "Maybe you should have a little chat with her, remind her that she can't just roam all over the compound, it's not safe for her to be out in the open" The man suggests.

"I'm aware of that Puckerman" Santana snaps. "Hence the reason I was looking for her" Puck chooses not to say anything else to her, even those closest to her don't like the latina when she loses her temper. He rolls the car to a stop, Santana jumping out immediately and stalking over to the surveillance unit, ripping the door open as Puck jogs to catch up to her. The find Brittany and Sam chatting in the corner of the small building, Karofsky watching the monitors, shooting quick glances of disapproval in Sam's direction.

"Evans. You're off duty, you can go." Puck tells the blonde man, his tone leaving no room for argument. He watches as a stone faced Santana beckons Brittany to her, the blue eyed woman following her ex mistress out of the unit. "We need to keep an eye on her, otherwise we'll be in the same situation as yesterday all over again" Puck tells Dave, the bulkier man nodding in agreement.

"I'm on it" Karofsky states, Puck clapping a hand on his shoulder before following Santana and Brittany from the building.

_**Please drop me a review to let me know what you think. Thank you for reading :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you for all of the reviews for the first two chapters, I think I got back to all of you.**_

_**I'm having fun writing this fic and it's proving to be a great distraction from things so I'm glad you guys are enjoying it :)**_

Chapter 3

Santana silently leads Brittany back to their living quarters, her expensive heels clacking obnoxiously on the marble staircase. She can feel both Brittany and Puck's gaze on the back of her head, keeping her dark eyes forward as the reach the top floor. The Latina opens the door to their private living quarters, stopping in the doorway and allowing Brittany to squeezed passed her as she turns to look at Puck.

"Ensure you speak to Evans tomorrow" she tells him curtly.

"Of course" Puck nods. "I'll have Zizes stand guard when she and Quinn return, I'll wait until they arrive" he adds.

"You're off duty" Santana reminds him, her face softening slightly when he shrugs. "Goodnight" she states, almost kindly, turning on her heel and walking into the apartment and closing the door. Brittany looks up from her place on the sofa as Santana enters, her ice blue eyes searching the Hispanic woman's is quiet as she sits on the armchair opposite the blonde, crossing one leg over the other. Clasping her hands in her lap, she studies the other woman, one of the few people in the world she truly cares about. Her mind drifts back to the year before, to the day Brittany had first entered the compound, scared and alone in the world, barely nineteen and signing her life away to be a lowly servant. Only once before had the Fabray-Lopez women softened towards a servant, the others rarely even receiving eye contact from the women who had the blood of so many on their hands. It had started out with them being more lenient with Brittany, the blue eyed beauty broke many of the rules, not on purpose, just from being absent minded, yet received far less lashings than the other servants, who rarely made mistakes, did. The bubbly blonde was liked by everyone, now despised and viewed as a traitor by her peers. Fleeting glances turned to lingering gazes, even the cold latina had a hard time not smiling around the teenager, growing to love her dearly, Quinn feeling the same. The few lashings she did receive turned into verbal warnings, decent paychecks stopped and luxury was gifted to her, anything she wished soon became reality. Santana snaps out of her memory as Brittany fidgets. "You're not scared of me" she states, noting that the young woman merely looks bored of the long silence.

"Of course not!" Brittany exclaims, her blue eyes widening.

"You never were" the latina muses, "Even when you first arrived. The other servants cowered, tried to make themselves as small as possible when they saw myself or Quinn...they still do. You always smiled at us, wished us good morning, stepped over any of the boundaries that were put in place, even after learning about our past and the true details of our buisness. You didn't even blink when you had to clean blood from the floor or burn clothes" Santana watches the woman curiously. "You reminded me of another"

"Rachel" the blonde breathes, her eyes filling with tears, shocked at the raw emotion that briefly flashes in the tanned woman's eyes before the impassive expression takes over again.

"Rachel" Santana nods. "Do you understand why we did it? That we had to remove them?"

"They're safe?" Brittany questions. The latina nods.

"Quinn and I may be many things...but we look after those we care about. You are included in that category, which is why we need you to stick to the safety regulations. Walking around outside, even in the compound, is dangerous. You need to be with a guard at all times, a guard that we trust. We have enemies who would hurt you to hurt us. No more leaving without a guard" Santana tells her firmly, standing up and walking over to her. She cups a pale cheek in her hand, looking deep into crystal blue eyes and pressing a chaste kiss to her pink lips before straightening up and walking from the livingroom and leaving the younger woman alone with her thoughts.

0-00-0

Brittany wakes up with a start, looking around in confusion and wondering how she got into the bedroom. She realises why she woke up, the blaring of the compound alarm attacking her ears and she turns to see Santana rushing out of bed, throwing on some jeans and a long sleeved t'shirt.

"Don't worry" the latina murmurs as she slips into a pair of sneakers, "it's probably just a false alarm" she adds and Brittany allows herself to feel comforted for a few seconds until she realises Quinn isn't back yet. Sitting up, she ties her hair back, grabbing the t'shirt that she had tossed onto the bed earlier in the day and putting it on. "There's no need for you to get dressed" the latina tells her as Brittany stands up and slips into her sweatpants. "You're not going out there" she adds, holstering her gun. The blonde ignores Santana's comment, stepping into a pair of sneakers and following her from the bedroom and to the door of the apartment, the latina spinning around to glare at her. "You are not going down there" she repeats firmly as Puck bursts into their living quarters, his eyes wild, followed by a heavily breathing Mike.

"We gotta be fast" the mohawked man exclaims, shotgun slung over his shoulder. "Cortez ambushed Quinn and Zizes, they got back unscathed but a few of his men followed them here" Santana takes in the information, her face hardening. She spots Sam lurking behind the two other guards and she turns to face him.

"Evans, you stay here. She doesn't come out and you don't go in. I don't want her down there" Santana orders sharply, Sam nodding nervously and moving to stand outside the apartment as the latina and the two guards follow him, Santana striding down the hall and pulling her gun from it's holster, Mike doing the same.

"Don't screw this up" Puck snaps before jogging after Santana and Mike. "I'll head to the roof, Chang stay with Mistress Santana at all times" he yells, running past the marble staircase and along to the fire escape, climbing out of the window and sprinting up the metal stairs, finding Karofsky already there, AK47 in his hands. "Did any of Cortez's men get inside the compound?" he asks, ducking down and pulling the shotgun from his shoulder.

"Azimio found one of the servants dead on the grounds, bullet hole in the back of her head which means at least one of them got in" he states angrily, blasting a round of bullets into the darkness in the direction of the fence. "Make that two" he adds, looking down at Mike and Santana who are ducking behind one of the landrovers and signalling that he would cover them. Mike nods and he and the latina take off across the compound while Puck and Karofsky cover them.

"Ma'am, the car..." Mike yells, he and Santana stopping beside the shiny black mercedes that Quinn had taken to deal with business earlier. Mike pulls open the back door, his gaze stopping on the puddle of blood on the backseat, where Quinn would have been sitting. "Ma'am" he murmurs to gain Santana's attention, fear filling the latina's eyes as she takes in the scene. "She's on the compound somewhere, We'll find her" the asian man states, trying to convince his boss and himself that the blonde woman would be ok.

**Please let me know what you think. Thank you for reading :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**

**So I figured I needed to update this quickly as people seem desperate to find out what happens next.**

**Thank you so much for your reviews and thank you to those that put this story on alert/favourite, I appreciate it!**

Chapter 4

Mike struggles to keep up with the sprinting latina as they cross the compund, stopping when they reach the the cover of the main building, the asian man breathing heavily as he looks over at his boss. She motions for his radio, grabbing it from his hand and snapping orders into it, relief crossing her face as she hears Quinn's voice filter from it. Santana leads Mike into the building, striding along the bottom corridor and down the concrete steps leading to the basement where the medical room is located. Entering the brightly lit room, she wrinkles her nose at the strong smell of steriliser and approaches the bed where Zizes is sitting, holding her hand against her shoulder, crimson blood oozing through her fingers. Santana looks up as Quinn enters from the back room, rolls of gauze in her hands, immediately holding a bundle against Lauren's gunshot wound, her hazel eyes locking with her wife's, silently telling her that she is ok.

"I've got it, Ma'am" Mike states, stepping forward and taking over from the blonde, talking quietly with his fellow guard whose face is twisted into a painful grimace. Quinn beckons for Santana to follow her into the back room where all the medical supplies are stored, the latina instantly walking after her. The blonde places a comforting kiss to her wife's full lips, resting their foreheads together and looking deep into dark eyes.

"The blood was in the backseat, I thought it was yours" Santana murmurs, a rare look of vulnerability showing on her tanned face.

"I got Zizes to sit in the back after she was shot, she was in no position to drive. I had to get us back here" Quinn explains. "Are you Okay?" she asks, smiling softly when her wife nods. "And Brittany?"

"Evans is guarding her with strict instructions not to let her leave. She's safe" the hispanic woman replies. "So we made another enemy tonight?" she sighs.

"It was a mistake for us to trust Cortez" the blonde states, "It's a mistake for us to trust anyone" she chuckles dryly. They spin around when they hear someone entering the supply room, Santana's anger flaring up as she steps into Sam's personal space.

"Your orders were to guard Miss Pierce" she bites out, satisfied when the blonde man takes a step back, warily glancing at the furious latina. "Why the hell are you here?"

"I'm sorry Ma'am, Miss Pierce overheard my radio. She ran off when she heard that Mrs Fabray Lopez was missing. She was too fast for me" he says pleadingly. Santana leads the two blondes from the room, nodding in greeting as Dr. Pillsbury enters. "Can you handle this yourself?" she asks. The ginger woman nods, taking over from Mike. "Evans, go help secure the perimeter, I'll deal with your incompetence later" Santana demands, Sam nervously nodding and sprinting from the room. "Chang, come with us" she adds, storming out of the room, leading them back up the concrete steps.

"Ma'am, may I speak freely for a moment?" the asian asks, Quinn nodding and looking at him without breaking her stride. "Evans shouldn't be working here" he states.

"Because Brittany got away from him?" she asks curiously, a frown on her features.

"No Ma'am, we've all been given the run-a-round by Miss Pierce, it's not that. He doesn't take his job as seriously as he should. I don't trust him" Quinn nods, knowing her wife felt the same way.

"I'll look into it Chang" Quinn replies. They fall back into silence as the make their way back outside, Santana noting that things are a lot calmer now, no guns firing and no yelling. She leads her wife and guard to the white van that is now parked on the edge of the compound, Puck giving out orders to the other men as they load black bodybags into the back of the van, his gun once again slung over his shoulder. Karofsky approaches them, holding his gun to the back of a man's head.

"I found this one trying to escape" he growls. "What do you want me to do with him?" the burly man asks. Quinn studies the pale man with grey hair, his pasty skin glistening with nervous sweat, his dull grey eyes pleading with her.

"Take him downstairs, find out what he knows" Quinn orders, "If we find you helpful enough, you may just get out of this alive" she adds coldy to the man, watching as Karofsky drags him away and she gestures for Mike to follow him, the asian guard immediately doing so. "Puckerman" she calls out, the man instantly walking over to them.

"It's clear, anyone on Cortez's payroll who knows where we are, are dead. One casualty on our side, Holly Holiday, she was one of the cooks. Everyone else..." Pucks trails off as he spots Brittany running over to them, throwing her toned arms around Quinn.

"You left without a guard" Quinn snaps, glaring into blue eyes, her face softening as she takes in the fear on Brittany's face.

"I thought you were dead" the ex dancer whimpers, her eyes darting between Santana and Quinn, noticing the silent fury on the hispanic woman's face.

"Running out here wouldn't have changed anything if I was dead" Quinn states firmly. "All you did was place yourself in unnecessary danger and distract the guards from protecting the compound" she adds. "Make sure this place is cleaned up, we don't need to give Schuester any new reasons to sniff around the place" the shorter blonde woman orders Puck, the man nodding and radioing for a guard to come over. "Guard the living quarters, I'll send someone to relieve you in a few hours" he tells Azimio as the man joins them, nodding and leading the three woman back to the building, his eyes narrowing at the two blonde women's joined hands, not used to public displays of affection from either of the Fabray-Lopez women before, even if it is just to ensure that Brittany stays beside them. Santana stops in the doorway of their living quarters, waiting until the other women are out of ear shot before she turns to Azimio.

"What do you make of Evans?" she asks, searching the face of the man who had worked for them since the beginning.

"There's something off about him, he's not an ideal person to be Matt's replacement" he answers honestly.

"It would be hard for anyone to fill Rutherford's shoes" Santana agrees. "Make sure it isn't Evans that relieves you" she adds, waiting for his nod before entering the room, closing and locking the door behind her, still thinking about the new guard, agreeing that something is off about him.

**Another short chapter, I know. The next chapter will be a long one, some things will be revealed and more secrets will appear. Please drop me a review to let me know what you think. Thanks for reading :)**


	5. Chapter 5

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you all so much for the reviews, I'm glad you guys are enjoying this fic.**_

_**A little warning; this chapter will contain a small amount of non consensual DD so if that isn't your thing you may not want to read it.**_

Chapter 5

Brittany sits down on the edge of the bed, relieved that Quinn is alright but fighting anger at their reaction to her going out onto the compound, wasn't she allowed to worry about them, to want to protect them rather than them protecting her all the time? Sighing, she slumps onto her back, her legs dangling over the edge of their giant bed. Blue eyes snap up as the bedroom door opens, Quinn entering and silently walking over to the safe. The shorter blonde unlocks the safe and places her gun into it, along with her wedding ring..something she did every night after an incident with a past servant. The safe door is slammed closed, sounding like a gun shot, Quinn locking it and turning to look at the blonde laying on the bed. Hazel eyes curiously search Brittany's face, her brow kinking in confusion at the anger and defiance on her face, internally fuming at the thought of Brittany being angry after what she did, purposely entering a place that posed a threat to her during the day with a guard, never mind in the middle of a gun-fight, at night and alone. Santana strides into the bedroom, her blazing eyes landing on the younger woman, whose eye roll only serves to infuriate her more.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" the latina demands, glaring at Brittany, who sits up to meet the woman's angry gaze properly. "Did you want to get yourself killed? Would that have helped the situation? How are we supposed to ever leave you alone if you insist on disobeying us at every oppurtunity?" Santana snaps, her eye never leaving Brittany. "Even after we fell in love with you...we fought against it, bringing you into our world meant bringing you into a shit load of danger, a target placed on your back. People will try to hurt you, just like they did with Rachel, hurting you..hurts us" the latina yells. Quinn places a calming hand on her wife's arm, communicating with her eyes for Santana to allow her to take over.

"What Santana is trying to say, is that our enemies don't care that you're innocent. They don't care if you die. Let us protect you" Quinn begs, pulling Brittany to her feet. "You will always be looked after, even if something happens to us" she says passionately, using the pad of her thumb to wipe the tear that falls from the ex servant's glistening eyes. Santana and Quinn both watch as the ice blue gaze softens for a second, fury suddenly flashing in them again.

"No, you know what I'm not a child. If people want to kill me, it's your fault. Your fault that you have blood on your hands, not mine! Everything is your fault" Brittany screams as Santana approaches her, furious brown eyes meeting furious blue. "Rachel not being here is your fault..Michael is your fault!" Brittany adds, unable to stop now that she's finally speaking her mind. She doesn't back down when Santana invades her personal space, if anything it spurs her on. "What are you going to do? Use your gun on me?" she spits.A gasp from Quinn meets her ears and she registers the hurt and shock that flashes across the latina's face, the tanned hand that grasps her wrist feels like fire, all of the emotions in the room feel like they'e multiplied. Brittany doesn't realised that she's moved until she feels the cool wood of the dresser on her stomach and the stinging pain that explodes in her backside. Santana keeps up her attack on Brittany's ass, the flat of her palm striking over and over while her other hand firmly holds the struggling blonde in place over the dresser. "Stop! Please!" Brittany begs, choking on sobs that rise from her throat. Santana doesn't stop until the younger woman is a limp, sobbing mess, backing away from her and glancing over at the unreadable expression on Quinn's face before storming from the room, the loud slam of the door causing both women to jump. Quinn moves forward, helping Brittany to the bed, the ex servant jumping back up when her weight is put on her backside.

"Just lie down" Quinn murmurs, keeping her hand wrapped around Brittany's wrost until the woman lays down onto her side. "You shouldn't have said those things to her" she adds before following her wife from the room. Brittany feels guilt bubble up inside her, she had pushed Santana to this, the woman who had treated her like royalty, allowed the blonde into her guarded heart. If anyone else had said those things to the latina, especially when she was already enraged, they would be lucky to escape with their lives. Brittany had seen servants receive lashings for accidentally bumping into her in the hallways or for making eye contact with her when she was in a bad mood. The blonde hadn't known what to expect when she said to those hurtful things to her, a spanking hadn't even crossed her mind. She knows that Quinn is mad with her, agrees with Santana's response even if she herself was shocked about it. Brittany feels a fresh wave of tears flow from her eyes as she turns to look at the doorway, seeing Santana standing there, watching her silently.

**A little short, I know but my updates will be slowing down for a little while to deal with some family things and I thought I'd give you another update before I go. Please leave a review to let me know if you liked it.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**A few of you have sent me messages about the fact that I have several fics that are uncomplete. The kind of mood I'm in dictates what fic I update so whether or not I had one ongoing fic or twelve, there'd still be the same length of time between updates for a fic. I appreciate that some of you get attached to certain fics but it's hard to write a story when you're not in the mood to do so. Thank you for getting in touch though :)**_

_**The reviews for this fic have been amazing, I really appreciate them!**_

Chapter 6

A soft sigh escapes Santana's plump lips as she studies the sparkling blue eyes that stare back at her, the red tinge in them causing the latina's stomach to twist with guilt, something she hadn't felt for a long time. She beckons Brittany over to her, noticing the hesitance on the blonde's features. The raw emotion in Santana's usually unreadable eyes surprises the ex servant and she decides to comply, shuffling over to the older woman, eyeing her curiously. Santana holds out her hand, Brittany flinching slightly before calming and taking the out-stretched tanned hand into hers, the raven haired woman gently pulling her from the room and into the livingroom where Quinn is standing, talking on her cell-phone. The other women wait in silence for Quinn to finish, the hazel eyed woman turning to look at them as she ends the call.

"Pack as much stuff as you can in five minutes. Our inside man at the precinct says Schuester has a warrant, he's on his way with back-up. I'll explain everything on the way" Quinn tells them, quickly walking passed them and disappearing into the bedroom. Santana glances at Brittany, their eyes meeting for a brief second before the latina guides the young woman back to the bedroom. Brittany doesn't miss the fact that Santana and Quinn have clearly gone through this process before, each woman packing certain things, neither of them reaching for the same thing, not even needing to communicate with each other. She grabs the nearest rucksack, starting to throw clothes into it, Santana immediately helping her, brown eyes purposely avoiding blue. They remain silent as they make their way down to the back exit of the building, Azimio carrying the heaviest of the rucksacks. The walk out to the compound to find Puck standing beside one of the Landrovers, waiting for them. Puck gives Azimio a nod as he takes the rucksacks from him, the man shaking his hand in a good luck gesture before running across the compound to help the other guards pack up. Quinn climbs into the back of the landrover, sliding along to the furthest end and motioning for Brittany, the taller blonde gracefully sliding into the vehicle and sitting next to Quinn.

"Chang?" Santana murmurs to Puck who slams the trunk closed.

"He's in the surveillance unit, we'll get him on the way passed. Karofsky's helping everyone get out, the staff are panicking" Puck replies in a hushed tone. "Let's go" he adds, jogging around to the driver side door as Santana slips into the back beside the other women. The guard starts the car, driving faster than usual, slowing down just enough for Mike to jump into the front passenger seat with a metal case in his arms, Puck's foot slamming down on the gas and speeding out of the compound.

0-00-0

Brittany keeps her eyes closed as the events of her dream fade away and the quiet murmurings of Santana and Quinn take over, groaning slightly as she repositions herself, trying to go back to sleep. She frowns, wondering why her pillow is so hard, recognising the scent of familiar perfume and realising her head is on Santana's shoulder, remembering that she isn't in bed but in the back of a car. Forcing her eyes open and lifting her head, she looks out of the window at all the trees and fields that are flying passed, the hand that runs through her hair surprises her. Dazzling blue eyes lift to gaze at the owner of the hand, looking deep into guilt filled brown orbs, regret and love mingling on the latina's face, the first meaningful signs of emotion in a long time.

"That won't ever happen again" Santana states softly, choosing not to continue as she remembers the other people in the car.

"I know" Brittany responds, not in defiance but with trust lacing her words, the simple statement from Santana calming her. The confinement she felt at the beginning of the journey changes to feeling protected, safe between the two woman who changed her life so much. Quinn's hand wraps around hers as she settles against Santana again, both women making an effort to reassure the younger woman. Brilliant hazel meet deep brown over Brittany's head, silently communicating their love, neither women hiding their fears, of losing everything, losing each other from their eyes. The trees and fields gradually grow into the distance, the car slowing down as it enters a small mountainside town, the huge black car making the buildings in the town look even more old fashioned than they already do. Brittany sits up properly, leaning forward, a hand on each front seat to steady herself as she looks ahead, spotting a forest surrounding the mountain up ahead. She gasps as Puck suddenly swings the car into the forest, leaving the road behind as he drives through the trees with an expertise that tells Brittany he has done this more than once in the past. They drive for around fifteen minutes, the ex servant turning to look at Quinn who gives her a small smile, mouthing the word 'later' when she takes in Brittany's curious expression.

"We're almost at the check-point" Mike states into his radio, nodding the go ahead to Puck when Anderson's voice crackles through the radio to confirm that it's safe to continue. The car pulls into a clearance after a few minutes, revealing a mass of guards surrounding the area in front of what Brittany thinks looks like a cave set into the mountain. Blaine approaches the car as soon as it slows to a stop, Puck rolling down the window to talk to him.

"Zizes says it's clear, you guys weren't followed" Blaine states, "Almost everyone is accounted for" he adds solemnly.

"Almost?" Puck asks in concern.

"Evans" Blaine responds simply and they hear Brittany's breath hitch at the revelation of Sam's, someone she counted as a new friend, death. "I'm sorry" the man tells her sincerely as Santana and Quinn each place a hand on the blonde's back. "Karofsky said it was quick and painless, I know it doesn't mean much but.."

"Thank you Anderson" Santana cuts him off sternly, the man taking the hint and stepping back with a nod in Puck's direction, the mohawked man putting the car into drive and heading towards the cave.

**Please drop me a review to let me know what you think. Thank you for reading :) **_**For those wondering, the next chapter will deal with the events of the last chapter.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you for all of your reviews, I'm so pleased that you guys are still enjoying this story.**_

_**I've had a lot of people sending me PMs asking about certain details, all your questions will be answered in the story, it's a mystery/drama fic so I can't tell you what's going to happen as you'd stop reading the story lol. I do love how passionate you guys are about it, you're awesome!**_

Chapter 7

Brittany's eyes widen as the car rolls into the cave and she realises that it's not actually a cave, but a tunnel. She turns to look at Santana and despite the situation, there's a smile playing on the latina's pouty lips as she watches the shocked blonde.

"Our families have been working together for a long time" Santana explains, "Our great grandfathers didn't have the luxury of having a safe place to escape to, their sons spent years making sure that future generations didn't have the same problem" she adds as Puck drives down the sloping hidden road, taking them underground. Brittany twists in her seat, watching as daylight falls futher and further into the distance until the landrover's headlights are the only light source in the tunnel. She can smell the dampness on the walls wafting through Puck's still open window, can see the moss on the bricks, causing the smell she guesses. Her blue eyes dart uneasily out into the dark space surrounding them, clautrophobia setting in and she can feel a warm hand clasp her shoulder, Quinn gently pulling her back into her seat, her hand staying in place.

"It's not much further" Quinn tells her softly, holding her gaze until the tunnel starts to widen, the ground no longer sloping and the car is filled with the bright artificial light of the underground garage where several Landrovers are already parked. Brittany lets out a breath she didn't even realise she was holding and stares around her in awe as she climbs out of the car after Santana, feeling the cool air hit her, a shiver running through her. Her pale hand finds refuge in the latina's, grasping onto her as Santana leads her up a small set of concrete steps and through a heavy metal door that Mike unlocks and pulls open for them.

"Whoa..." Brittany breathes as she takes in the sight in front of her, she knows the Fabray-Lopez women well enough to have not expected a simple bunker, it wouldn't have been good enough for them but this...this is more than she could have ever imagined. She expected the place to accommodate their basic living needs, maybe a few luxuries thrown in but here she is, staring in awe at the fully furnished house in front of her.

"Our living quarters are downstairs" Quinn states, a chuckle escaping her lips when Brittany's jaw drops open.

"There's another floor? This is like a smaller version of home" she exclaims, the guards and women nodding. Santana gently pulls Brittany towards the elegant staircase at the end of the corridor, leading their little group down them and along the carpeted hallway, stopping at a door and pulling a key from her pocket.

"We'll go check in with the others, I'll send someone up to guard the door" Puck tells them, he and Mike turning to walk back the way they just came.

"Puckerman, Chang!" Santana calls after them and they turn around. "Thank you" she states, both men having to work hard to stop the surprise showing on their face.

"Of course, Ma'am" Mike responds, his chest puffing with pride, Noah's only reply is a nod and an appearance by his signature smirk. The latina leads her two blonde's into their living quarters, showing Brittany around the different rooms, the leggy blonde's blue eyes gazing around in awe, her eyes settling on Santana when Quinn leaves the room to take a call. The hispanic woman gracefully sits down onto the sofa, crossing one leg over the other and patting the space next to her, signalling for Brittany to join her. The blonde complies, settling next to the latina, gazing at her with her own regret and guilt.

"I shouldn't have said those things to you" Brittany whispers, "I'm so.." she stops as Santana holds her hand up, silently shaking her head, her dark eyes pleading.

"Everything is my fault" Santana murmurs, her brow furrowing. "None of you would be in danger if you didn't know us. Everything you said was true, Michael...Rachel, that's all because of me, don't apologise for that. I'm the one that owes you an apology, I can feel myself turning into my father, I loved him with all my heart but he had an awful temper. So many times I would enter a room and see my father doing to my mother exactly what I did to you. I know I come across like I don't love you but I do, with all my heart and I swear to you that I will never lay another finger on you ever again" The latina swears, the passion in her gaze almost burning Brittany's skin. "I would rather die than hurt you again" she adds, cupping a pale cheek in her hand, the vulnerability on her face shocking Brittany.

"I know, it's ok. I knew it would make you mad but I said those things anyway, I know you wouldn't pull your gun on me" Brittany tells her. "I know you've had to do a lot of things that I wouldn't understand and I don't care" she adds, pressing a gentle kiss to Santana's lips, feeling the latina smile into the kiss. "And I'm sorry for my part in it" Brittany tells her once the kiss ends.

"All is forgotten. I'm sorry about Evans, I know you liked him" Santana states with genuine sympathy in her eyes. "I may not have been his biggest fan but I did respect him as an employee and as your friend" Brittany nods sadly and the latina leans forward to place a soft kiss to her forehead. "I won't ever let it happen to you" she adds. Both women turn to face the the door to the livingroom as Quinn enters, a smile playing on her pink lips, walking straight to the apartment door when a knock echoes around the room. She opens the door, allowing Matt to walk in. Brittany stares at him, if Matt is here then so must be...

"Michael" Brittany breathes, standing up to gather the small boy into her arms, a huge beam on her face and tears filling her blue eyes. Her gaze drifts back to the door and the petite brunette standing there, cradling her bloody arm.

**Thank you for reading, the more reviews I get, the quicker I will update *hint hint* Let me know what you think :)**


	8. Chapter 8

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you for all of the kind words regarding this story, I love writing it so I'm glad you all like reading it :)**_

_**Some questions will be answered in this chapter but the story still has a long way to go so there will be more questions popping up as well**_

_**R&R hope you enjoy :)**_

Chapter 8

Brittany rushes over to Rachel, pulling her into a cautious hug, mindful of her injured arm. Matt backs out of their living quarters as Santana and Quinn silently join the other two women, the four adults and the small child joined for a moment In a large hug before the two blondes take action, leading Rachel to the couch. Brittany hands Michael to Santana and runs to grab a first aid kit. The Latina holds the two year old boy close to her body, placing a gentle kiss into his black curls and softly running her thumb across his tanned cheek. She notices Matt lingering just outside the open door and she walks outside to talk to him, her eyes questioning.

"We got separated" the man states and the Latina realises just how beaten up Matt looks. "She said she didn't know who took her and where she was because they covered her face. She turned up at the meeting point six hours later and with a messed up arm" Matt explains.

"Michael?" Santana asks, her hands roaming the child's limbs, searching for injuries.

"I fought my way out with him after I realised there was no way I could help Rachel, I got the impression that it wasn't him that they were after, there was no real effort to take him. I have no idea how she got away but I'm glad she did" the man states. "I'm sorry for letting you down, ma'am" he adds.

"You didn't let me down" the Latina responds, her eyes focused on Michael. "Thank you Matt" she adds, surprising the guard by using his first name. "Go get yourself checked out" the woman states as another guard appears, positioning himself outside his bosses' living quarters. Santana nods to the guard as she walks back into the apartment, closing and locking the door behind her and making the decision to never let Michael from her sights again. Quinn looks up as her wife enters the livingroom, finishing wrapping the bandage around Rachel's arm before walking over to the latina. She cups Michael's face in her hands, kidding his forehead lovingly then doing the exact same thing to his mother.

"Cortez won't find him here" Quinn states simply, reassuringly. "Rachel explained what happened" she adds.

"Rutherford told me" Santana nods, "We'll talk about it later, she looks exhausted" she then says, Brittany over hearing and helping a tired Rachel stand up, gesturing to the other women that she's taking the petite brunette into the bedroom. "Are you okay?" the latina asks her wife, looking deep into hazel eyes and searching her face. "You seem distracted"

"Yeah, I'm good. It's been a long few days, I'm not so much distracted as I'm tired" Quinn replies, her face an unreadable mask. Santana's brow furrows, a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that Quinn isn't telling her everything. "I think I'm gonna go to bed too, you coming?" the blonde asks.

"I'm still a little wired, I'll be there soon" the latina tells her, kissing her pink lips gently. She watches as Quinn disappears into the bedroom. Santana dims the lights, settling onto the sofa, Michael now asleep in her arms that are firmly wrapped around him as she looks down at his peaceful face. She thinks back to what Matt said, the people who took Rachel weren't interested in Michael so it definitely couldn't have been Cortez, he was only interested in Michael and as far as he and his men were concerned, Rachel was dead. Why would anyone want to take Rachel, the latina can't make any sense of it, maybe it would make more sense once they speak to the diva. Santana leans down to press a gentle kiss to Michael's forehead, watching his face as he sleeps, the toddler's face looking almost thoughtful as he dreams. She briefly wonders if Quinn is thinking the same thing, her wife definitely had other things on her mind, she knows her well enough to recognise when the blonde is worrying.

0-00-0

Detective Schuester uses his gloved hand to turn the door handle of the women's private living quarters, surprised to find the door unlocked. He swings the door open, pulling his gun out of it's holster and unclipping the safety, ready to shoot if he needs to as he steps over the threshold. Listening carefully and keeping his eyes peeled, he motions for the officers behind him to follow. The officers swarm around the apartment, kicking open the doors to each room, their shouts confirming that the place is empty and Schuester sighs as he walks to the bedroom, the signs of their rushed exit showing around the room. The metal safe is still wide open and as he expects, it's empty. The half empty walk-in closet has clothes hangers laying on the floor after the items they held were ripped from them in the womens' haste to pack, the bed unmade from that morning. He notices a flash of silver in amongst the clothes, pushing the designer jackets out of the way, he finds a doorknob. Will groans as the hidden door refuses to budge, calling an officer into the closet with him, he stands back as the younger man kicks it down after several attempts.

"Get Figgins" Will barks to the officer as his eyes widen in surprise at the contents of the room. Stepping inside, he takes in what is clearly the bedroom for a young child, the neutral cream walls leaving him in the dark as to the gender. He runs a gloved finger along the edge of the crib that sits in the corner of the bedroom, the stripped back sheets lay tangled at the foot of the mattress, a green pacifier lying abandoned amongst them.

"William" Figgins greets as he steps into the hidden nursery. "A child's bedroom? None of them have children" the man states in confusion as his eyes roam the room. He walks over to the dresser, pulling the drawers out and finding them empty, the antique toy chest also barren. "Kidnapping?" he suggests and Will shakes his head.

"Look around Figgins, look at the care put into turning this into a child's room" Schuester states, gesturing at the individual stencils the borders around the room. "No, one of these woman have to been pregnant, this is a child that they consider a part of their family" he adds.

"There are no hospital records of Fabray or Lopez having a child, all the background checks for their employees say nothing about any of them having a family. Rachel Berry was the only one that even had parents, everyone else who came here had no-one to miss them" Figgins states, his brow furrowing as he glances at his partner.

"These woman are powerful and have the money to cover their tracks if they wished to have a child. The question is why, why would women like Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez want to be parents? We've spent months building our case against them and found nothing that confirms they even have souls" Schuester spits, "There's more going on here than we think, the amount of bullet casings in the yard looks like there was an all out battle going on out there, we've barely scraped the surface of the activities that go on here" Both men look up as an officer, a different one from before, appears in the doorway.

"The forensics team just called, the blood found downstairs belongs to a Sam Evans, an ex FBI agent" Figgins nods and the officer leaves them alone in the room.

"That's another thing that doesn't make sense, these woman are smart...the only evidence left behind is untraceable, why would they leave the pool of blood? Why would an ex FBI agent be inside the building? It's almost like they wanted us to find the blood, I don't like this" Will concludes. "Did you find any evidence of Rachel Berry being here recently?" he asks suddenly, Figgins shaking his head gravely.

"If she got on the wrong side of these women then I think it's safe to assume that we won't even find her body and the same thing will happen to our inside man" the dark skinned man sighs.

0-00-0

The wheels of his dirt bike sprays mud onto the once shiny vehicle as he speeds across the fields in the dead of night, his head whipping around to make sure he is alone when he reaches the edge of the field. Killing the engine, he jumps off of the bike and wheels it to the old abandoned barn that sits there, a shadow of it's former glory, the wood starting to rot and the roof half caved in. He flicks the kick stand down with the heel of his boot once he is inside the old building, eyes darting around for signs of life.

"Puck" the man spins around at the sound of his name, a grin spreading on his face at the sight of his friends.

"You did good Evans" Noah states, closing the gap between them to shake the other man's hand. "Santana doesn't know a thing, Anderson broke the news when they arrived, Brittany was devastated though" he adds and the blonde man frowns as he thinks about the young woman. The mohawked guard takes his backpack off and hands it to Sam. Everything you'll need is in there, maps, food, clothes, a tent. You'll also need this" Puck states, handing over a hand-gun.

"Thanks" Sam murmurs. "This is gonna work, right?" he asks, looking genuinely nervous for the first time since Puck had met him.

"It's already working, most people think you're dead. Get some sleep, you look like crap" Noah tells him with a small smirk. "I'll try and get out here again before we do this thing, just stay calm and wait. Be careful Sam" Puck slaps his hand on his friend's back and walks over to his dirt bike.

"You too" the blonde man replies as Puck pushes the bike out of the barn, listening as the engine roars to the life and the bike gradually fades into the distance. This is only the beginning.

**So I though I'd give you a longer chapter than usual since you guys are being really patient. Thank you for reading and feel free to drop me a review to let me know what you think :)**


	9. Chapter 9

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**I've noticed the reviews for this fic have dropped recently so if you guys are still interested then please let me know :)**_

Chapter 9

Brittany wakes up as a loud cry echoes around the bedroom, a smile spreading across her face as she watches Santana gently lift Michael from his crib, murmuring soothingly in his ear as she holds him close. This is one of her favourite sights in the the latina, that the outside world saw as cold and heartless, tend to her son dressed in a pair of womens boxers and an old t'shirt and mussed hair rather than her usual immaculate appearance. Brittany realises she's the only one still in bed and she glances over at the clock, noting that it is almost nine and sitting up. Santana turns to face her when she hears the movement and she moves to sit on the edge of the bed, Michael in her lap, the small boy's face lighting up at the sight of Brittany and he wriggles from his mother's arms to crawl over to Brittany. The bond between Brittany and Michael always amazes the latina and she smiles as remembers Rachel's joke about how he must be planning to steal the blonde from his mothers. She sighs sadly as she thinks about the brunette, how she is basically nothing to the boy, the past few days had been the only time Rachel had ever spent more than five minutes at one time with him.

"Are you okay?" Brittany asks softly, her brow crinkling in concern as Santana meets her gaze. She can see the cracks in the latina's demeanour, her dark eyes betraying her exhaustion and worry.

"Yeah, it's just been a long couple of days" Santana sighs, her hand automatically shooting out to support Michael as he stands up on the bed.

"Cortez betrayed you to Sylvester, didn't he?" the blonde asks, the tanned woman looking at her in surprise. "I'm more aware of my surroundings than people think, I notice things. I'm not as dumb as people think" Brittany tells her sadly as Santana reaches out to cup the blonde's face in her hand.

"No, you're definitely not dumb" Santana says genuinely. "You have no sense of danger but you're most definitely one of the smartest people I know" the latina adds teasingly and Brittany wishes everyone could see this side of her, the side that made the blonde fall in love with the latina, something many of the staff members couldn't understand. She knows that they think she is foolish for getting into a relationship with the dangerous women, sees the jealousy on their faces when they serve her dinner or when they see her climbing the steps to the upper floors.

"We're staying together now, right?"The blonde asks pleadingly, her blue eyes searching the other woman's face.

"Yeah baby. We won't ever be seperated again" Santana promises, leaning over to kiss her softly. "I'll keep all of us safe" she adds. They turn around as Quinn enters, a smile playing on her features as she reaches out to pick up Michael, the toddler looking positively delighted at the attention he is getting.

"Puckerman's wants to have a meeting with us today, work out some sort of game plan and he wants Rachel there to give as much information she can on the people who took her. Nobody knows what we're up against and Rachel and Matt are our best shot at working it out" Quinn states, the latina nodding. "I was thinking we should all go" the blonde adds, "Hummel's not had much to do recently so I told him to be here ten minutes before the meeting starts"

"You want me there?" Brittany asks in surprise. She knows most of what went on at the compound but had never been involved in any of it before, neither had Rachel up until a few days ago. The ex servant looks over at Santana, waiting for the latina to put her foot down and say no, even more surprised when the woman gives her a simple nod.

0-00-0

Brittany can feel eyes on her as she is lead into the large dinning room on the bottom floor, her hand firmly wrapped in Santana's, the latina now wearing another one of her powersuits. Mike and Blaine exchange a bemused look at both the sight of the Latina's sign of affection and Brittany's presence in the room. They watch as Santana sits down at the table, Rachel and Brittany on either side of her while Quinn sits next to the other blonde, her chair protectively close. Karofsky gives the women a nod as he enters the room and drops into a seat.

"I'm glad you're okay Miss Berry" he tells Rachel sincerely.

"Thank you" Rachel murmurs with a small smile as Puck leads Matt into the room, the pair of them sitting at the table, the latter sporting colourful bruises on his face, showing the full extent of his dedication to protect Michael.

"Thanks for joining us" Puck states to the other guards. "What we're about to talk about does not leave this room, the other guards do not need to know" he adds, the men nodding their understanding. "First things first, I'm upping the security level and posting men further out. I want to know the minute someone gets within a ten mile radius of this place, we didn't have enough time to react when Cortez's men attacked" The man tells everyone. "Everyone is safe and I'd like to keep it that way" he adds. Puck looks over at Karofsky, nodding to him to take over.

"Our inside man told us that the cops have been swarming all over the compound, they had an anonymous tip off, someone saying that they saw Miss Berry leaving the compound a few days ago and they had photographic evidence.

"How the hell did they get a hold of that?" Santana demands.

"It turns out Evans was working against us, trying to gather enough evidence to bring us all down. Our guy says that he only got the pictures out before he died, nothing else" Karofsky explains. "He tricked everyone, getting back in touch with Puckerman was all part of his plan" he adds. Noah remains quiet, knowing that people needed to believe Sam was guilty and dead if he wanted his plan to work, even if it meant taking the blame for Sam's betrayal.

"How much do the police know?" Quinn asks calmly.

"They found the room but all they know is that there was a child on the compound at some point. They didn't find much else apart from some casings and Evan's blood" Dave tells them. Santana glances over at Brittany's tear filled eyes, regretting her decision to allow the blonde to be here.

"I knew there was something about that guy" Mike mutters. "I should have been more vigilant"

"There was nothing more you could have done Chang" Santana states, surprising everyone with her tone of reassurance. "I had my doubts but he was obviously good at his job"

"The main thing is we know now that there was a mole and now we don't have to worry about that" Puck says confidently, keeping up appearances.

"I agree" Quinn states. "Is there anything else that we should know about?" she asks. When they all shake their head no, she turns to Santana who gives her a small nod.  
>The blonde turns her gaze to Matt, "Can you remember much about what happened yesterday?" she asks him.<p>

"All I can remember is they were dressed in black... Six of them, I think" Matt tells them. "They were in a van, a black van. After that it's kind of a blur" the man admits with a shake of his head. "They grabbed Miss Berry and as soon as I realised I couldn't do anything to help her, I got out of there on foot with Michael" he finishes, looking apologetic that he can't help more.

"So they were only interested in Miss Berry?" Blaine asks in confusion.

"They kept asking where to find Santana and Quinn" Rachel whispers and they turn their attention to the small brunette."I couldn't see their faces, I don't know what would have happened if the van hadn't crashed. I was lucky they didn't tie me up or never would have escaped" she adds, clearly distressed with talking about the events of the day before. Mike's brow furrows as he remembers the news report of an accident last night, no bodies had been found, just a badly burnt van. Whoever had taken Rachel clearly wanted to cover their tracks. Santana allows her mind wander as Puck assigns their most trusted guards new schedules, wondering who could be behind this new attack. She knows it can't be Sylvester or Cortez, Sylvester's main concern being Michael and Cortez's main concern being the fat checks that their once mutual enemy is handing over to him. She doesn't like not knowing, not one damn bit.

**Let me know what you think :) More answers will be coming in the next chapter, thank you for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you so much for the reviews for this fic, glad you still like it :) **_

_**R&R please :)**_

Chapter 10

Brittany swallows the huge lump in her throat as she follows the other women back to their living quarters, trying to process everything she has just heard. The man that she trusted, became friends with and angered Santana and Quinn just to hang out with had been working against them. Others had been suspicious of him, had known he was up to something, is she really that naive? To fall for a man's charm when other people don't? She feels Quinn's hand take hers, sees the reassuring smile the other blonde gives her, the quick wink that Santana shoots her and she knows that they're not thinking the same thing. They don't blame her or pity her, they blame Sam, hate him for tricking their most trusted guard and friend, not even blaming Puck for falling for it. Brittany takes comfort in their support, appreciates their trust and allowance to be a part of the meeting, glad to have a chance to see how things work, to see the respect the women she loves receive.

"I'm going to go for a walk" Rachel tells them, "I need to think" she adds, Santana nodding a gesturing for Blaine to go with her, the guard following the petite brunette while keeping a respectful distance. The latina sighs softly, her eyes never leaving the retreating woman until Rachel and Blaine are out of sight.

"I'll go with Karofsky, I want to check out the new guard posts. I'll be back later" Santana tells her two blondes, her hand rising to cup Brittany's cheek in her hand, brown eyes converying her love. "Stay in the living quarters until I know our surroundings are safe" she states before turning to Quinn, the two women sharing a look and a nod. "Alright, let's go" the latina says, turning on her heel and striding down the hall, Karofsky following her.

"Ma'am? Are you going somewhere?" Matt asks.

"No, I'm going back to the living quarters, Chang can come with us. Go get some rest" Quinn replies, giving a nod to Puckerman before walking towards the apartment with Brittany, Mike walking behind them and stopping at the door while the two blondes go inside. "Thank you Hummel, you can go" she states to Kurt as she takes Michael from his arms, the young man smiling at the boy before he leaves. Quinn smiles down at the child she raised with Santana, the young boy babbling to her and giving her a toothy grin, his little fingers playing with her hair. "Are you ok?" she asks Brittany quietly.

"Yeah..it's a lot to take in but I'm ok" the ex servant responds. "Thank you for letting me be there" she adds in a murmur, her eyes downcast. She can feel hazel eyes studying her, the other woman easily reading the twenty year olds expression, no matter how much Brittany tries to hide it. The taller woman always thought that Quinn's eyes could see into her soul, the intese gaze always seeing right through her if she ever tried to hide something. "He used me, didn't he?" she asks, sighing when Quinn nods.

"I'm sorry, I really wish there was something I could say to make you feel better, other than at least we know who we can trust now" Quinn states, resting her hand on Brittany's shoulder, both of them chuckling as Michael does the same. "And there is one man who will always be on our side" she adds, handing the little boy over to the other blonde.

"Is Rachel going to be alright?" the taller woman asks, almost fearful to hear the answer.

"I think so, she just needs some time. She had a traumatic experience" Quinn murmurs, feeling her own concern for the brunette building.

0-00-0

Santana is finishing lacing up her boots when she hears the knock coming from outside the equipment room, calling out for the person to enter and giving Karofsky a nod when he walks into the room. The man takes in his boss' appearance, the camouflage trousers and black long sleeved t'shirt and realises the woman is planning to fight if she needs to.

"Ma'am, we'll get you out of there if it's not safe, you don't need to fight with us" he states, forcing himself not to take a step back at the intense gaze that meets him. There's a fierce determination in her dark eyes as the latina stands up, the passion on her face is something he has never seen before. The usual cold, hard demeanour is gone, the sense of importance and superiority is fading and he sees nothing but his equal as he meets her gaze.

"Rachel could have died" Santana states, loading bullets into her hand gun and placing it into her belt. "When the motherfuckers that want Michael or Rachel turn up I will finish this. No more running" she adds and realisation hits Dave. She fully expects them to be found, it's no longer a case of if but a matter of when. The woman standing in front of them is no longer the infamous cold hearted bitch that had the blood of many staining her hands, who didn't care if people she had known for years were killed doing tasks for her, that person is gone. The woman before him is ready for battle, to protect the people she cares about, proving all the servants, who said it is impossible for her to love, wrong. "Let's go" she says.

"Yes Ma'am" Karofsky replies, full of respect for the woman. He follows her from the room, finding Puck waiting for them by the door, the mohawked man glancing at Santana curiously for a moment before shrugging and falling into step with her and the other guard. She leads them out to the underground parking lot and jumps into the front passenger seat of one of the landrovers, Puck getting into the driver's sear as Dave takes a seat in the back. The drive back along the tunnel is silent, Santana mentally preparing herself just in case they run into trouble when they expand their territory.

0-00-0

The dampness of the ground soaks into the front of his t'shirt as he lays amongst the long grass, looking down at the mass of trees below. He takes a drink of water from his hip flask while he waits, keeping his mind focused on the task ahead, knowing the whole operation relies on his ability to pull this off. He glances across at the dead body slumped against a tree, his conscience slipping through his concentration for a second before he shakes the guilt from his mind, one life in exchange for the lives of many, a necessary victim. He pulls his cell-phone from his pocket when it vibrates against his leg, reading the message and shoving it back into his pocket.

"Show time" he mutters to himself, pulling his sniper rifle from his back and loading it with a single bullet. He lifts the scope and settles the gun on the small tripod stand in front of him, waiting motionlessly until the time to strike arrives. The sound of rustling leaves reaches the man's ears and his finger moves to the trigger, silently watching through the scope as the three figures below him slowly come closer. He smiles as his target comes into clear view, strands of Santana's long black hair moving in the slight breeze, her whole body tensed as her eyes search her surroundings, her gun firmly in the grip of her left hand. His finger squeezes the trigger, the silencer muffling the shot and he watches as the latina falls to the ground, Karofsky running to her while Puck shoots in the direction that he knows the dead body of the scape-goat is while Sam makes his hasty escape.

**Drop me a review to let me know what you think, thank you for reading :)**


	11. Chapter 11

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Sorry for the wait for this chapter and thank you for the reviews. Remember, this is a mystery, you're not supposed to know all the answers yet ;)**_

_**R&R please :)**_

Chapter 11

Karofsky reaches Santana just as the Latina hits the ground, immediately crouching over her and pressing his hand against the wound on her curses as the crimson blood seeps through his fingers, yelling at Puck to grab the first aid kit from the car. Puck takes his cell phone from his pocket and traps it between his ear and shoulder as he rummages through the trunk of the Land rover.

"He missed" the guard whispers frantically when he hears the other person answer. "Back-up is on the way, we'll be back soon" he adds, hanging up. He grabs the first aid kit and sprints back to the clearing, passing the box to Karofsky with a shaking hand. Noah hovers over the other guard as he works to stop the bleeding, his gaze meeting Santana's terrified eyes and he knows straight away that the Latina can see straight through him. "Back up's here" Puck states as he hears the approaching vehicles. "I'll take some of the guys to secure the area, jogging away from Santana and Karofsky.

"He already knew" the Latina murmurs hoarsely, her face pinched and her jaw clenched as Dave presses a bandage against her injury.

"What did he know?" Karofsky questions as Mike sprints over to them, the Asian man kneeling down next to them with panic written all over his face.

"Puckerman knew" Santana grinds out, "He reacted seconds before I was hit" she adds, swallowing a pained cry as more pressure is added to her shoulder.

"She's in shock" Dave tells Mike softly, easily lifting the woman into his arms and walking towards the Landrover with her, Chang following them with his gun in his hand as his eyes scan their surroundings.

"I'm not in shock" Santana snaps, "I know what I saw" she tells them furiously.

"Alright Ma'am, let's just concentrate on getting you fixed up" Mike replies softly, desperate to get his boss to gently places Santana into the backseat of the car, gesturing for her to stay down before rushing around to the driver's side and climbing in. Mike gets into the back with their boss, silently helping her hold a bundle of gauze against her injured shoulder, frowning at how pale the latina is becoming. Dave meets the other guard's gaze in the rear view mirror as he starts the engine, his eyes mirroring the asian's concern. Santana struggled to stay awake, feeling weaker and weaker, unconsciousness threatening to take over and she notices just how much of her blood is covering herself and Mike. "Focus on me" the guard tells her, "Do not go to sleep" he adds firmly, gripping onto the latina's hand. He feels the woman's grip weaken and he looks out of the window, growing more fearful when he notices how far away they are from the tunnel. "Dave, pick it up" the asian demands.

"My foot is already on the fucking floor!" Karofsky yells, frustration taking over as he realises that all their efforts to protect their bosses in the last few days may have been for nothing. Santana can vaguely hear the two guards arguing as she fights to stay conscious, Mike's terrified face is the last thing she sees before everything goes black.

0-00-0

Brittany fights to push past Finn, the tall man blocking the door as she tries to leave the living quarters, desperate to follow Quinn down to the parking garage. Yelling at him to get out of her way, thumping at his broad chest with her fists and doing her best to squeeze out of the door, she stops when Quinn appears behind Finn, the smaller blonde having heard Brittany's yells.

"Stay here" Quinn tells her firmly. "There is nothing you can do and Santana would not want you to see her like this" she adds and the ex servant visibly deflates, tears rolling down her flushed cheeks. "Get out of the way" Quinn snaps to Finn, the man clumsily stepping to the side, allowing the woman to step forward and take Brittany into her arms. "She's going to be fine, Doctor Pillsbury will patch her up and then I'll come get you and Rachel, ok?" she says softly.

"Ok" Brittany whispers as Quinn places a soft kiss to her cheek before turning on her heel and heading back out of the apartment, Finn stepping back in front of the door as soon as his boss has left. Quinn marches down the hallway with long strides, the guard behind her having to jog in order to keep up with her as they reach the stairs, the blonde quickly going down them and heading straight for the door that leads them to the parking lot. She finds Anderson waiting there, his eyes never leaving the tunnel while he watches for Landrover's approach. "Any news?" Quinn asks him.

"Chang said Mrs Fabray-Lopez lost consciousness around five minutes ago, Ma'am" Blaine replies softly, "He said she lost a lot of blood" he adds regretfully.

"Go make sure Doctor Pillsbury is ready for her" Quinn orders the guard that had followed her, the man nodding and jogging from the room. She leans against the wall, her foot tapping nervously as she impatiently waits to see her wife, listening carefully for sounds coming from the tunnel. Blaine sighs softly as he spots headlights piercing into the darkness of the tunnel, speaking into his radio to alert the other guards. He sees Quinn push off of the wall out of the corner of his eye, the blonde's anxiety radiating from her as the car gets closer. She rushes down the concrete steps as soon as the car squeals to a stop, running straight to the back of the car and helping Mike transfer the Latina into his arms. Santana's limbs hand limply as the guard carries her into the house and along the hallways, Quinn and the other guards following closely behind him, the blonde's gaze never leaving her pale and bleeding wife.

"Have neither of you heard of a tourniquet" Doctor Pillsbury snaps as they enter the medical room.

"There was nothing to use" Mike responds angrily as he lays his boss on the bed.

"Get me some O negative blood from storage now!" Emma barks to the guard that Quinn had sent to her, the man running into the back room. "Ma'am, I need you to wait outside" she adds in a softer tone, gesturing for Karofsky to take the woman out of the room. The blonde allows the guard to guide her from the room as she stares numbly at her wife, how had this gone so wrong she wonders to herself. Dave places his hand on Quinn's shoulder, silently offering the woman some comfort and thinking about what Santana had said while she was laying bleeding in the clearing. He turns around as he hears someone walking along the hall way and he watches as Puck types furiously into his cell-phone, the mohawked man not even realising he isn't alone until Karofsky snatches the phone from his hand and points his gun at him.

"What the hell are you doing Karofsky?" Puckerman demands loudly, drawing Mike out from the room, the asian man stopping in surprise.

"Santana said you reacted before she was even hit" Mike explains dangerously, understanding dawning in his eyes. Karofsky scrolls through the cell phone, seeing two recent numbers, one he doesn't recognise and the other one is Quinn's. The gun pressing into his back causes him to freeze.

"Put your gun down Karofsky" Quinn's voice is cold, her finger lingering on the trigger and Mike realises too late that his gun is missing from his belt.

_**Alright guys, let me know what you think. I'll do my best update again sometime this week. Thanks for reading :)**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**I've had a few..uh..frustated PMs regarding the last chapter so this chapter's up earlier than planned.**_

_**R&R :)**_

Chapter 12

Puckerman meets Quinn's gaze warningly as he takes his cell phone from Karofsky's hand, putting it into his pocket and nodding his head in the direction of the meeting room. Quinn nods and nudges Karofsky in the correct direction, making sure Mike is in front of them and watching him warily.

"It's not what it looks like" Puck states as he closes the door to the meeting room, Chang scoffing at the cliche. "The bullet was supposed to miss her" he adds honestly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Karofsky demands, looking between Quinn and Puckerman sceptically.

"We're trying to draw out the real mole" Noah sighs, "Evans was on our side all along, he's not dead, people just had to believe that he was" he explains. "He was the one who took the shot, it was supposed to just miss Santana and then we had a decoy to take the blame so that the mole would think they were safe" Puck adds.

"There's still someone working against us, we've known for a while so we brought Evans in to help us draw them out" Quinn tells them, handing Mike's gun back to him. "Only we knew what was going on" she sighs.

"So, you guys leaked the picture of Miss Berry leaving the compound, the raid was your fault?" Mike asks in confusion.

"No, that was whoever is working against us. It worked out well for us though, we were given an opportunity to fake Evans' death. It's extreme and dangerous but if the mole beats us, we lose everything. We all go to prison for the rest of our lives and Michael gets raised by strangers, I couldn't let that happen" Quinn states seriously. "It's all for nothing if Santana dies, most of our allies are still with us because of the Lopez family, it's not unknown that my father was despised by pretty much everyone that met him. There would be no way for me to raise Michael without having any contacts" she adds softly.

"It's all for nothing now anyway, Santana knows I knew about the shooter" Noah admits to Quinn, the blonde sighing and slumping down into a chair. She runs a hand through her blonde hair, exhaustion showing on her face as she realises their hard work has failed.

"There is another way" Dave murmurs, "It's risky though" he states. "Why don't we let her think you're the mole" the guard suggests, Puck glancing over at Quinn with raised brows.

"It could work" Noah muses, "When they find the body it'd be easy to assume he was working with someone on the inside. What do you think?" he asks Quinn who studies him curiously.

"It'd be very dangerous for you, Santana will send men after you and I won't able to stop her without looking suspicious" Quinn reasons, not even thinking about the possibility that her wife may die.

"Either we explain everything to Santana and abandon the plan or we take advantage of the fact that she thinks I'm against her" Noah tells them, "I don't want to lose this chance" he adds. "Sam has supplies, if I get out of here now it should be fine, give me twenty minutes to get out of here before you alert the rest of the staff" he says, turning to Karofsky and holding out his hand, the other guard shaking it.

"I'm sorry I doubted you" Dave tells him quietly.

"It's your job" Puck shrugs, "We're good" he adds.

"Hit me. It needs to look like there was a struggle" the broader man says, Puck immediately swinging his fist and connecting it with Karofsky's face. "Fuck. You didn't even need to be convinced" Dave grumbles, his hand holding the side of his face.

"That was for doubting me"

0-00-0

Santana winces as she cracks her eyes open, the bright lights in the medical bay almost blinding her. She curses as she tries to sit up and a burning bolt of pain shoots across her shoulder. Slumping back against the pillows, she notices Blaine standing in the corner of the room, watching her warily.

"Get me Karofsky and my wife" she orders, her beautiful features contorting as she tries to ignore the pain. "And Pillsburu" she adds. Blaine nods and speaks into his radio, under strict orders from Quinn not to leave the latina alone, even for a moment. Santana clenches her teeth as she pushes herself up into a seated position, impatiently waving Blaine off when the guard steps forward to help her. The Latina looks down at her clothes, wondering who changed her into sweatpants and a tank top as she tries to stand up, the floor like ice on her bare feet.

"Ma'am, that's not a good idea" Blaine starts, a dark look from his boss cutting him off.

"Know your place Anderson" the Latina snaps, grabbing the bed to stop her from falling as dizziness hits her.

"You lost a lot of blood" the guard reminds her softly, "At least sit down for a little while" he suggests, holding his hand out to her and smiling when Santana allows him to lead her to a chair, the man handing her a bottle of water from the small fridge underneath Doctor Pillsbury's desk.

"Thanks" she murmurs, gulping most of the bottle down, her gaze focusing on the door as Emma walks in, the woman giving her a mega-watt grin. The red-head busies herself with opening the packaging of a new syringe and filling it with morphine. "Not too much, I want to be able to focus" Santana tells her, the doctor nodding and placing the syringe on the desk so that she can tie a tourniquet around her boss' arm. The latina watches as the needle pierces into her bulging vein before Emma sticks a band aid over it.

"You'll feel a little better soon, you'll need to wear a sling for a while" the doctor murmurs as Quinn and Karofsky walk into the room, the blonde walking straight over to her wife and kneeling down in front of her.

"You scared me" Quinn says softly once Emma and Blaine have made themselves scarce, her hand tracing the bandage on her wife's shoulder before she takes the sling from the desk and slips it over her wife's neck and gently maneuvers her injured arm into it.

"Puckerman knew" Santana whispers, betrayal written all over her face as Quinn nods in confirmation. "He was a mole?" the latina asks in a vulnerable voice, a lump rising in her throat when her wife nods again.

"He got away" Quinn states, gesturing to Karofsky, Santana sighing at the darkening bruise on the large guard's face.

"I want him found" the latina snaps, "Send people out, he knows too much" she adds. Karofsky nods and motions for Anderson to come back into the room, ordering him to stay with the women at all times before leaving to gather up some of the guards. Quinn grabs her wife's sneakers from underneath the hospital bed and slips them onto the latina's feet and helping her to stand. Blaine silently follows as the blonde guides Santana out of the medical bay and along the hall, the blonde trying to ignore the guilt she feels for her plan going wrong and getting her wife shot and for continuing to lie about it. Santana can feel her movements become sluggish as the morphine starts to kick in and it takes most of her concentration just to mimic her wife's footsteps.

"Almost there" Quinn murmurs softly as she helps Santana walk up the staircase. She notices, out of the corner of her eye, Blaine stepping behind the Latina, ready to catch her if needed. She feels relieved when they reach the door to their living quarters, quickly dismissing Finn and gesturing for Blaine to take his place. Santana smiles lazily as Quinn opens the door to reveal a relieved looking Brittany, the tall blonde carefully pulling the latina into a gentle hug.

"Thank goodness you're alright"Rachel smiles as walks out of the kitchen, placing her hand on Santana's lower back as she stands on her tip toes to place a warm kiss to the woman's cheek. "You gave us all quite a scare" the petite brunette lightly scolds.

"I'm gonna take her into the bedroom to get some more rest, we can all talk about it in a few hours" Quinn tells the other women as she feels Santana swaying slightly.

"I told Pillsbury not to give me too much" the latina slurs sleepily and Quinn rolls her eyes, guiding her wife towards the bedroom. "We should tell her off" Santana adds, sounding like a small child. The blonde doesn't reply as she pulls back the duvet of their bed, carefully helping the raven haired woman into it and pulling the duvet up to the hispanic woman's chin before moving backwards to sit in the armchair that is in the corner of the room. She watches her wife sleep, guilt playing at the back of her mind while she prays that Puckerman put enough distance between him and the property before the other guards went after him, grateful to the man that is risking everything to save them all. Quinn feels tears sting at the corner of her eyes as she realises just how close she came to losing the love of her life today, if it hadn't been for Karofsky and Chang's quick reactions the latina would be dead right now. The blonde knows they need to find the mole soon before everything is ripped from them, even Brittany wouldn't be able to escape a jail term, after all the things she had helped to cover up, if the police closed in on them. Michael would be left with nothing and neither woman would see each other again, most likely she and Santana would be sent to death row, since most of their crimes were within the state of Ohio, where they would be locked up for several years before dying by lethal injection. Sighing, she leans forward in the chair, her elbows resting on her knees and her head in her hands, wondering what the hell to do next if Puck fails. She forces herself to put the 'what ifs' from her mind, knowing that if there is one person who can pull something like this off, then it would be Noah Puckerman.

0-00-0

Puck drives out of the tunnel and brings the car to a stop a few yards away from the opening and jumps out, jogging away from the vehicle, none of the guards giving their boss a second glance as he runs across the tarmac, heading straight for the trees. It wasn't unusual for the mohawked man to be seen running in the grounds, it is something he did most nights, both to keep himself fit and to clear his head. He picks up his speed as soon as he is out of sight of the other guards, sprint flat out through the trees, well aware that he only has another thirteen minutes to put enough distance himself and the others for the plan to work. Focusing only on running, he forces his already aching muscles to work faster, ignoring the burning sensation that works it's way up the back of his legs. He reaches the clearing and his insides twist as he spots the dried puddle of blood amongst the grass. Running passed it, he heads street for the steep hill that Sam had been laying on top of only hours before and he begins to scramble up it. Digging his fingers into the soft dirt, he pulls his exhausted body up the slope, his arms and legs working faster than he even thought was possible. The desire to rest almost takes over as he reaches the top of the hill, a glance at his watch feeding him more motivation. Eight minutes.

"Shit" he chokes out, breathing heavily as his foot catches a branch, sending him sprawling across the damp grass. He feels the air being knocked out of him as he lands, coughing and spluttering into the ground as she takes huge gulps of air, trying to force it back into his lungs. His watches seems to be mocking him as he looks down at it and pushes himself back onto his feet, his legs dragging as he heads straight for the trees. Six minutes. Keep heading north he tells himself, north and you won't get lost, repeating it over and over in his head as he forces his way through the trees, jagged branches poking into his skin every so often. His legs scream with exhaustion as he starts to run again, his muscles feeling as though they are made of lead as he forces them to keep going, just a little more. Reaching the edge of the trees, he almost falls to his knees in relief, knowing the other guards will be ordered to only go as far as this, all he needs to do now is get himself out of sight. The alert will be put out soon and trained guards will be hot on his trail, guards he had personally trained, three minutes. Noah reminds himself why he is doing this, picturing Michael growing up with people he doesn't know as he sprints across the countryside, clambering down a small slope and racing along a grassy field, the long grass, that almost hits his waist, slowing him down significantly. He stops as he reaches the muddy field, relief flowing through him as he looks across at the patch of forrest that hides the old barn where Sam is, taking a few seconds to gather his breath. He glances at his watch, the seconds counting down. They're coming. He can't help the grin that crosses his face as he starts to jog across the field, mud splattering the back of his black jeans as he speeds up, desperate to get under collapses into an exhausted heap as he reaches the old barn, Sam rushing over to him in concern.

"Jesus, Puckerman! You scared the crap out of me" he yelps out, crouching down next to his friend. "Are you Okay?"

"Yeah" the mohawked guard breathes out, his heart thumping against his ribcage. "What about you? Are you good?" he asks, panting loudly.

"I hit her" the blonde man exclaims in distress, Puck rolling his eyes at his friend's need to states the extremely obvious. Sam comes to his senses and rushes over to his tent, reaching in and grabbing a bottle of water for the other man.

"She's alive, that's all I know right now. Santana worked out that I knew about the threat and we had to let her believe that I'm the mole for the plan to work" Puck explains, breathing heavily and taking a long drag from the bottle of water Sam hands to him. "Chang and Karofsky know, he's sending men out to keep up appearances but their orders will stop them coming this far" Noah adds.

"I can't believe I hit her, I could have killed her" Evans sighs, sitting down on the damp floor next to his friend.

"She almost bled out in the car but she's in good hands, we'll know more when I meet with Chang tomorrow. What the hell happened?" Puck demands.

"She moved at the last second" the other man defends himself. "At least the plan can still work, right?" Sam sighs in relief when Puck nods, both men falling into silence, trying to mentally prepare themselves for the next few days, ready to react as soon the real mole makes their move. Puck hates the thought of Santana thinking he has betrayed her, feeling even more furious with Sam for shooting her, not only because the Latina could be dying as far as he knows but for also making their whole operation more difficult. At the same time he's thankful that Dave and Mike, two men he trusts whole heatedly, now know. He knows they will protect the women and Michael with everything they have. Pushing himself off of the damp ground, Puck walks over to the rucksack of supplies he had given Sam and digs through until he finds a bag of chips and opening them. Noah hadn't realised how starving he was until he starts eating and he finishes three bags before he decides to speak again.

"I always knew this day would come" he murmurs, his gaze locked on the outside of the barn. "Always wondered whether it would be worth it"

"And is it?" Sam queries, Puck sighing and looking over at the blonde man seriously, pondering for a moment, his gaze serious and his brow furrowed.

"Yeah" he answers honestly. "To me, it is. I'd be lost without them, still wandering the streets drunk and hooking up with random women just to have somewhere to sleep for the night. It may not be an honest life but it's better than no life" Puck states. "It bothered me at first, I used to dream about the lives that I took, see their dying moments all again and again every time I closed my eyes. Now I barely blink when I kill them, when I wash the blood of someone's loved one from my hands. The world will see me as evil, as soulless but the world did nothing for me and I refuse to do something for the world. Santana and Quinn did so much for me, my loyalty will always be with them" Sam takes in his friend's words silently, thinking about a time when he would have judged those words, been disgusted by them even but that time is passed. He's in their world now, the FBI dropped him for a simple mistake which Sam now knows was their biggest mistake.

0-00-0

He smiles as he hears the news, the heat is finally off of them, they think they have the mole. The women who everyone thought were impossible to outsmart had been outsmarted. Pulling his cell phone from his jacket pocket, he sends a quick text to his partner, announcing their newfound freedom to complete their operation. The man almost laughs when the response comes through and he learns that it's Puckerman who is their unintentional scape-goat. They must be complete idiots if they believe Puckerman would betray them he thinks to himself, the man is like a loyal little puppy, performing tricks for his owners just to gain a pat on the head.

"Evening" he smiles as Chang walks passed him, the Asian man nodding politely in greeting as he makes his way down the hall. He waits until the other man is out of sight before he pulls his cell phone back out of his jacket, quickly deleting his recent messages and turning it off, stuffing it back into his pocket. The man reaches his small living quarters, allowing his victorious grin to spread even wider as he closes and locks the door behind them. Who knew it would turn out to be this easy, the countries most infamous couples were about to watch their empire crumple to the ground, thinking they are safe. Opening the small fridge, he pulls a bottle of beer out, cracking it open as he kicks the fridge door closed. He sips the cool liquid as he sits down on his arm chair, propping his feet up on the coffee table, if there was one beer that he deserved, then it is this one. Two long years, longer for his partner, he had spent gaining the trust of everyone in the compound and it is almost a bittersweet feeling, as dangerous as this job is, he loved the thrill of of being around people who would shoot him in the blink of an eye if they found out who he really is. The rush he felt when he narrowly escaped leaking evidence to his superiors is almost as awesome as he knows he will feel when he checks his bank account after this job, several zeroes after the decimel point..he's set up for life. No more undercover work, no more working like a slave to protect people that he despises, people that made him join the police force in the first place. The Fabray-Lopez women were his inspirations as he worked his way through the force, just the thought of being a part of the team that could bring them down drove him on. Yes, this beer he had earned.

0-00-0

Brittany watches sadly as Santana slumps down into the sofa next to her, the Latina wincing as the it sends a wave of pain through her shoulder. As much as Brittany hated seeing someone she loves in pain, there's also something disconcerting about seeing Santana looking so vulnerable. The discomfort on the usually strong and powerful woman worries the tall blonde as she studies her tanned face.

"I'm alright Britt, I've been shot before, I can handle it" Santana tells her, reaching out with her good arm to cup the other woman's face.

"You've been shot before?" Brittany asks in horror and Santana grimaces, wishing she hadn't said that. "When?" she adds, her blue eyes wide as she stares at the other woman.

"It was a year before we met you, the night that" the Latina hesitates as the other memories of that night clouds her mind. "The night Michael was conceived" Santana finishes and Brittany knows not to ask for more details. She doesn't know the full details of Michael's conception and anytime she asked any of the other women, they refused to tell her. "I was uh..shot in the leg" Santana murmurs, "Just a flesh wound" she adds as Rachel and Quinn join them. Brittany listens in shock as the other blonde explains everything to her and Rachel, why would Puck betray them? He cared about them, why would he help someone almost kill Santana. Brittany feels relieved when Quinn tells them that the shooter is dead but panics at the idea of Puckerman being out there with all kinds of information that could serve to seperate them all forever.

"I'm assuming that the authorities cut him a deal, they'll look over some of his indiscretions if he gets them the information they need. If he gets back to wherever he needs to before any of our guards can get to them then we're all in major trouble" Quinn finishes seriously, years of practice making it easy for her to mask her lies.

"Can't we just leave again?" Brittany asks desperately, looking between Quinn and Santana, their grave expressions scaring her. She gazes at the other blonde hoping and praying for a positive answer that, deep down, she already knows isn't coming.

"There's nowhere else to go" Quinn lies. "If it comes to it then we want you and Rachel to take Michael and run, the authorities will be more concerned with getting us into their custody, it should give you a good head start if we can fight long enough" she adds, watching as Brittany's face crumples as sobs wrack her body.

"Why can't you just run with us?" the younger woman chokes out, Rachel gripping her hand while wiping her own tears and sniffling loudly, unable to meet any of the other womens' eyes.

"They'd never stop looking for us sweetheart, knowing you, Rachel and Michael are safe is enough for us" Santana states sincerely, knowing that if they don't find the real mole soon, this scenario may become reality. The latina excuses herself, walking back to the bedroom slowly heading straight for Michael's crib, looking down at her sleeping son with a heavy heart. The boy is frowning in his sleep and Santana reaches down to gently rub her thumb against his furrowed brow, soothing the toddler as he sleeps and only removing her hand once his frown is gone. She feels Quinn's hands take refuge on her hips, the blonde resting her chin on the latina's good shoulder with a heavy sigh. "Is this going to work"

"It has to" Quinn responds in a tired voice. They move back to sit on the edge of the bed and for these few moments, they are no longer mass murderers, weapons dealers or drug smugglers, they are merely parents who are scared for their son's future.

_**Ok so I already have the next chapter almost finished, the more feedback I get, the quicker it goes up, Hint hint! Let me know what you think, thank you for reading :)**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you for your patience with this story and thank you for the reviews, I promise in future to update this much more quickly! :)**_

_**I've had some complaints that there is too much Brittany in this for a Quinntana fic, that's because it's not a Quinntana fic, It's unholy trinity and sometimes Faberrittana. :)**_

_**Flashbacks are in italics.**_

Chapter 13

Brittany shuffles sleepily into the livingroom to find Santana curled up on the sofa with Michael in her arms, murmuring gently in spanish. She sits down next to them but stays silent, not wishing to disturb the mother and son's tender moment. Her gaze turns blurry as her blue eyes fill with tears, the thought of Santana and Michael having to be seperated again causing her heart to ache. Brittany watches as the toddler reaches out to grab his Mother's nose, giggling cutely at the way Santana's face scrunches up, the latina returning the favour and gently grasping his nose playfully. It amazes her just how much the boy looks like Santana and how gentle and maternal the woman is, despite her lifestyle and reputation, she is an amazing parent. The ex servant finds herself thinking about the child's conception again, the way the hispanic woman would stiffen at the mention of it and the fierce protection that radiated from Quinn tells her it wasn't an experience that either of them would choose to repeat.

"You're quiet" the latina states, finally tearing her gaze from her son and looking into piercing blue eyes.

"I was just thinking" Brittany shrugs, leaning forward to move a jet black curl from Michael's forehead. "How's your shoulder?" she asks after another few moments of silence.

"It hurts" Santana states simply. "I promised Quinn I'd lay low for a few days and let her take care of business" she adds with a sigh. "Have you seen Rachel this morning? She wasn't here when I woke up"

"I think her head is still all over the place right now, she's gone through a lot recently, she probably just needs some time to think about things and clear her head" Brittany tells her softly, not missing the guilt that flickers across the other woman's tanned features. "You can't blame yourself" she murmurs, "It wasn't your fault"

"Then whose at fault here Brittany? You and Rachel are in constant danger because you're with us. You'd be better off without us, Rachel got injured protecting us and Michael and you..I hurt you" Santana says severely.

"You lost your temper and you made a mistake. You fixed that mistake. You shouldn't keep beating yourself up about it, I don't regret staying with you, not when I get to see this side of you" Brittany tells her tenderly, her eyes on Michael as the toddler looks up at Santana with adoration on his face. The latina gazes back at her son silently, gently pulling his thumb out from between his lips.

"No!" he exclaims, a scowl forming on his face but keeping his thumb from his mouth.

"How could someone so perfect come from two people who have caused so much pain in the world? From two sadistic people who have watched so many people die, watched the light leave their eyes after pulling the trigger or piercing their skin with a blade. I know what I've done, I remember every person that I've harmed but I don't feel remorse, it was business, nothing personal. But it should be, shouldn't it? It was definitely personal to their families, definitely personal to them. The only time I've ever fully felt guilty has been in the last few days, you and Rachel are suffering because we were too selfish to not have you" Santana whispers sadly. "All of the good things in our lives are because of evil actions, even Michael is here because of a bad thing" she adds so quietly that Brittany has to strain it.

"Does this have something to do with why Sylvester is after Michael?" the blonde asks in a whisper, fearful of the answer. Santana's slow nod causing her heart to ache as her mind starts to piece things together.

"I come from evil" Santana murmurs, her gaze never shifting from her son, even as tears start to flood her dark eyes. "I suppose the world will say that I deserved it when they hear about my crimes, the last thing I'll hear before I'm put to death is that I deserved whatever pain I felt in my life"

"Put to death?" Brittany asks in a whimper, her face crumpling as she studies the scarily somber Santana.

"I've been doing this for a long time Britt. Whatever you've seen in the last year was nothing compared to what I've spent my whole adult life doing. The blood that you cleaned or the clothes that you disposed of while you were working for us was only a small fraction of the evil things we've done" Santana mumbles, her brow furrowing as she catches her bottom lip between her teeth. "Almost three years ago. A man named Andrew Sylvester" she whispers. "Sue's brother, a man that was perhaps more evil than Quinn or I. I made the mistake of trusting him, Quinn warned me not to but I was too pigheaded and I told her that she was losing touch, becoming too suspicious and that her nerves would ruin us" the latina chokes out weakly.

_"We need allies Quinn. We need to expand if we want to make any real money, Sylvester wants the same thing" Santana tells her wife firmly, "It's business, it's how it works" she adds. "Open the sunroof Change" she demands, lighting her cigar and ignoring the glare from the woman next to her in the back of the car._

_"I don't trust him. I've seen the way he looks at the female members of the staff" Quinn argues. "I'm pretty sure his female servants aren't just there to work on the property" she adds._

_"Who are we to judge how he treats people, have you forgotten the past seven years of our life?" the latina drawls. "We're doing business with him, not comparing personal lives. You're going soft Quinn, since when do you care about the help?" she asks in disgust._

_"Whatever you say. Your mind is clearly made up on the matter so there is absolutely no point in me arguing with you" the blonde snaps, her nose wrinkling as the smoke from her wife's cigar clouds around her face._

"Even though she warned me, I was convinced that I was right, that working with Sylvester would be the best thing for us" Santana states quietly. "You know that saying? That two wrongs don't make a right? Do you think people really believe that? If someone does something bad to a bad person does it make people change their opinion on that person? Do they pity them or do they think that it's justice?" Brittany stays silent, having no real answer for the latina, instead she waits for her to continue, noticing Quinn standing in the doorway of the livingroom. Hazel eyes meet Blue for a brief moment, silently telling Brittany not to reveal that she is there, knowing the hispanic woman won't continue if she is disturbed from her thoughts.

"But does it make a person evil to live the way they were raised, you haven't known anything other than this world" Brittany murmurs, hearing the latina scoff bitterly.

"I chose to continue this. What I did to you was exactly what my father did to my mother and I, he would lose his temper. I knew then that he was wrong, I knew better when I did it to you and I knew better when I chose this life. I could have left after my parents died, I could have left this world behind and lived a decent life among decent people but I chose this. The way I was raised cannot be used as an excuse" Santana tells the other woman, her eyes cold.

"What happened that night?" the ex servant asks timidly, unsure of how the latina will respond.

_Santana bites through her lips as she stifles the scream that threatens to erupt from her throat, tasting her own blood as she presses her hand against the bullet wound in her leg. Pushing herself backwards with her other hand, she tries to scramble away from the man, her beaten body screaming in protest._

_"You silly little girl, you actually believed that I would do business with you" Andrew spits as he grabs Santana's jet black hair and pulls her from the floor, throwing her down onto the hard bed behind him. "You've been nothing but a pain in my ass since your father died, your attempts to continue his legacy were amusing at first but it's gotten old pretty fast" he snaps, his cold grey eyes lingering on the crimson blood leaking through tanned fingers. "If only you had done as I asked, there would be no need for you to bleed all over my house" he states darkly._

_"Fuck you" the latina screams, spitting blood onto his expensive pants._

_"How very generous of you to offer" Sylvester smirks, "But so very stupid of you to assume that I needed your permission. Santana watches him through hooded eye lids as she struggles to remain conscious, his large fist is the last thing she sees before everything goes black._

"Quinn managed to send a distress call to Chang after Sylvester dragged me off and before his men could cause any real harm to her. It only took five minutes for Chang, Puckerman and the others to storm the place, turns out Sylvester could do a lot in five minutes" she chuckles dryly, sending shivers down Brittany's back.

"He raped you?" the taller woman gasps, tears blurring her eyes as Quinn walks fully into the room, the other blonde kneeling on the floor in front of the two women on the couch. Santana nods shakily, her face contorting in pain at the memory.

"Our guards came into the room guns first, he died while he was still on top of me" Santana whimpers, a sob escaping her mouth as she cries in front of Brittany for the first time. "We kept Michael a secret for as long as we could but no-one can keep a secret from Sue Sylvester for very long and when she found out that he existed and that she had someone to continue the blood line, she wanted him. Now that Puckerman has betrayed us, she has more of a chance of finding out where we are"

"Puckerman is helping the police, not Sylvester. He killed her brother, she wouldn't keep him alive long enough to ask one thing about us" Quinn murmurs.

"I don't care. He's dead either way, tell the guards shoot to kill"

_**Drop me a review to let me know what you think please :) All the answers will be revealed within the next few chapters. Thank you for reading.**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Apologies for the huge wait! This is just a kind of filler chapter as work is complete chaos at the moment but I thought I owed some sort of update. Thank you for all of your reviews so far!**_

_**R&R please :)**_

Chapter 14

Sue watches with cold, unconcerned eyes as her men drag away the beaten body of the man she used to trust, Goolsby used to be great; fierce and desperate for blood to spilled, almost as if he had a fascination or some sort of fetish concerning the crimson liquid. She notices the forlorn expression on Shelby Corcoran's elegant features as she watches her comrade's blood slowly seep down the cracks in the floorboards. Sylvester silently studies the other woman as a servant rushes into the room, no doubt sent by one of the guards, and drops to their knees to clean up the blood with a bleach soaked rag.

"You are making this too personal, Corcoran" she states coldy.

"Forgive me, Ma'am but isn't this whole situation with the Lopez-Fabrays personal?" Shelby asks her in annoyance. "I just don't think killing one of your most skilled men for a silly mistake is going to help you defeat them" she adds, turning to face Sylvester with surprisingly calm features. "You pretend to have no emotions but there's no rage without passion and there's no passion without emotion. This whole situation is a personal vendetta and you know it" Shelby tells her. "Excuse me, ma'am" she adds before turning and walking around the pool of blood and the servant, leaving the room without a backwards glance. Sylvester smirks, shaking her head at the woman she had trained, she had known this woman would become more and more like her except Shelby is afraid of the emotions involved in the job, she had conquered that fear a long time ago.

"Get me Smythe!" she snaps into the intercom, the servant jumping and rushing to finish up, not wanting to be in the room with the woman who terrified her much longer. Sue inspects the floor, looking for even the smallest speck of blood before nodding her head in the direction of the door, the servant quickly leaving and brushing passed Sebastian as he saunters into the room.

"Hard to get good help these days, huh?"The man drawls, his signature smug smirk playing on his lips.

"Glad to see you made it back safely" Sue replies almost fondly, anyone who actually knows her would see just how highly she thinks of the man who is like a son to her. "Did you find out anything interesting?" she asks.

"They're at some hide-out, apparently out of the state. They're probably tucked away in the countryside somewhere, our guy in the FBI says that they have orders to use force to bring Lopez and Fabray but they want them alive. If they're found by the cops before we find them then Michael should be easy to get from child services, it wouldn't take much to grab him" Sebastian states confidently.

"That may well be but I don't want it to get that far, Lopez will do anything to stop us going near him, including hiding him away. She'd die before telling us where he is, we need to get to them before the police do, besides, I want to be the one to look in her and her dyke wife's eyes as I kill them" Sue sneers. "Get in touch with our man, I want an exact location and I want it yesterday" she orders.

"Of course" Smythe nods, turning on his heel to do his boss' bidding.

0-00-0

Brittany wakes to find only she and Rachel still in bed, not surprised that Quinn isn't there but she had fully expected to find Santana still there. She rubs her eyes and forces herself to sit up, shuffling from the bedroom quietly to look for the Latina. The ex servant looks on warily at the sight that greets her, Santana hunched over the breakfast bar with an open tequila bottle in front of her and Quinn standing beside her with a look of disapproval gracing her features. The latina scowls deeply as she ignores her wife, not even noticing Brittany's presence as she picks up the bottle and tips more of the burning liquid down her throat, slamming her hand against the surface of the breakfast bar when Quinn grabs the bottle from her. Santana weakly reaches for the bottle with her good arm, her usually exceptional co-ordination dulled by the tequila and she glares at Quinn, noticing even in her drunken state that hazel eyes are not looking back at her and she follow the other woman's gaze, her almost black eyes settling on Brittany. She looks at the younger woman with a pained expression, her mouth opening and closing for a few moments before she sighs and waves a tanned hand dismissively before sliding down from the stool and shuffling into the livingroom.

"One thing the world is wrong about it, she's not emotionless" Quinn murmurs as she brushes passed Brittany and walking back into their bedroom, closing the door firmly but quietly so as to not wake Rachel or Michael. Brittany stares at the door with sad blue eyes for a few moments, feeling guilt rise from her gut, this is her fault. If she had just left it and not let her excruciating curiosity get the better of her then Santana would be fine and not brokenly searching for peace of mind at the bottom of a bottle. The talk blonde sighs as she silently follows the Latina into the livingroom, finding her slumped on the sofa and mindlessly staring into space. She carefully sits down next to get, leaving a gap between them to give Santana some space but close enough to silently let her know she's there if the Latina needs her. Brittany watches the other woman, terrified as to what this could mean for them all, the usually powerful and dangerous woman who needs to be at the top of her game is weakened both physically and mentally. If Sylvester or even the authorities acted now there would be no way for the raven haired woman to defend herself; or anyone else for that matter. Is this how it's going to end? After everything Santana had done to ensure the people she cares about are safe, is she going to be the cause of their downfall? Quinn will blame her, Rachel will too but she knows Santana won't, for all the other woman love her and she loves them, the Latina has a special soft spot for the lively blonde that came into their lives not so long ago. Even this, though, won't be enough to stop her from blaming herself and she's scared, scared that Sylvester will succeed and take Michael away from them all and scared that she will lose the women she loves in the process.

"You feel guilty" Brittany hears Santana say and she breaks out of her thoughts to meet the dark,conflicted eyes of the woman next to her. "Why do you feel guilty?" the Latina asks, cocking her head to the side curiously, her surprisingly focused eyes never leaving Brittany's.

"Talking about it has weakened you, right at the moment when you need to be at your strongest" Brittany murmurs, the Latina scoffing lightly.

"You think I don't think about it every day? It's hard not to when you have proof of that night laying in a crib at the bottom of your bed. I told you what happened because I chose to, you have a right to know where the child you raise, as if he's your own, came from. I love Michael with all my heart, to the rest of the world I'm a monster but to him, I'm the person who protects him from the other monsters in this world. When I look at him or when I look into your eyes and see the love in them, I remember every bad thing I've done in my life, I feel guilt and it scares me. I let go of those feelings a long time ago and I didn't ever expect for them to come back to me but, they did." Santana explains, the tequila on her breath is the only thing that reminds Brittany of the scene she walked in on; the Latina seemingly sober now. She's shocked by the woman's revelation, knowing the woman is capable of love and guilt from past experiences but the regret on Santana's tanned face is an expression she's never seen from her, not about her past.

_**Please drop me a review to let me know what you think. Thank you for reading :)**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, it all belongs to RIB and Fox. Anyone you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Sorry for the huge wait for this chapter, hopefully it'll be worth it. Some questions will be answered in this chapter but not all of them so please be patient, all my stories are completely planned out and I stick to the plans for each chapter. **_

_**Thank you for all of you reviews, I'm glad some of you are still interested in this :)**_

_**R&R please.**_

Chapter 15

Sebastian enters the huge garage to find three servants giving his car a last minute check, ensuring that everything is in working order before their boss' favourite leaves to take care of business. He silently waves them off and throws his backpack into the trunk, checking that all of his weapons are still there and grabbing another gun from one of the shelves in the garage. The man grabs a box of ammunition and starts loading it, knowing from past experience that it's safer to have everything ready to be used should be run into any unexpected trouble. Sebastian smirks as he watches Shelby approach him, continuing to load his gun even once she is standing in front of him.

"You gonna come along for the ride Corcoran? Or are you hear to give me some advice on how to do my job like you usually do?" the man asks coolly, pulling his leather jacket from the trunk and sliding it on, adjusting the collar cockily while Shelby rolls her eyes.

"I'm coming with you. You're a fool if you think you can get near Lopez without back-up" Shelby sneers. "You underestimate Lopez and Fabray, that is the most dangerous thing you can do and it will get you killed" Shelby explains, pulling her bag from her shoulder and throwing it into the open trunk of the man's car.

"It sounds like you're almost concerned about me, that's very sweet Corcoran" Smythe says sarcastically. "Although I have to admit, I always knew you had a sweet spot for me"

"I just don't want you mess up everything we've worked for, I've been busting my ass for Sylvester since you were just a stupid high school kid" the woman replies coldly, stalking around him and climbing into the front passenger seat of his car, slamming the door loudly. Sebastian smirks as he closes the trunk and slides into the driver's seat, Shelby staring out of her window and ignoring him as he pulls the car out of the garage.

"I hope you realise I will not be stopping for bathroom breaks so I hope you can hold it for the next five hours until we reach the meeting point. I know what you women are like and it's one of the main reasons I prefer to work alone" he mutters to Shelby. "I also hope you're prepared for a fight, if there's a window of opputunity then I have orders to use it. All we need is the kid and the rest will come to us" he adds.

"I'm ready" Shelby states simply. "Can I suggest that you focus on the road rather than stretching your toddler sized mind to find ways to insult me, I'd hate to die in a car crash, it's so very ordinary" she adds in a bored voice.

0-00-0

Quinn watches silently as Chang and Karofsky pack a rucksack with items for Puck and Sam, noting that they pack weapons and ammunition, assuming that they expect to run into trouble soon. The men mutter back and forth to each other while they decide what to put in the rucksack, trying to work out what the other men will need, both of them grabbing random items and placing it inside the minimal space they have left inside the rucksack.

"Which one of you is going?" Quinn asks them.

"I am Ma'am, Karofsky will keep things running smoothly here. I should only be thirty minutes or so but we do need to work out some kind of game plan before we go, being seperated from two of our best men for much longer isn't a great idea. We uh..we were thinking Mrs Fabray-Lopez should go with me" Mike states softly, watching his boss carefully.

"With all due respect ma'am, she needs to be back on her game and I think keeping her in the loop is the only way to do that" Karofsky adds.

"She'll be furious" Quinn notes, realising that this is maybe what the latina needs, something to shock her out of her current state. "I'll bring her down to the parking garage, meet us there in ten minutes" she tells Mike as she walks across to the supplies closet, pulling out a bullet proof vest and leaving the room with it. She quickly makes her way to the living quarters and sighs when she sees Santana sprawled out on the sofa, luckily she's awake and seemingly sober. "Get up" Quinn demands and the latina throws her a filthy look. The blonde stalks over to her and throws the vest down next to her, deciding that they only way she will get through to her wife is if she is hard with her. "Put it on. You're going on patrol with Chang, you can't just lie here waiting for Sylvester to come after us. You need to get your head in the right place if you want to protect Michael" she adds in a harsh tone.

"I'm pretty sure I don't have to take orders from you" Santana states coldly.

"Yes, you do. You're gonna get us all killed so get up off your ass and get ready to go on patrol" Quinn snaps. Santana glares at her wife, the hard stare faltering as she notices Rachel and Brittany standing in the doorway of the bedroom, both of them watching her with pleading eyes.

"Fine" the latina bites out, grabbing the vest and storming into the bedroom, Rachel and Brittany jumping apart to let her through the doorway. The hispanic woman grabs a pair of black jeans and quickly changes out of her sweatpants and into them, throwing a long sleeved t'shirt on and slipping into her combat boots. She keeps her almost black eyes fixed on the floor as she bends down to tie her laces, ignoring the proud gaze she is receiving from Brittany. Quinn follows her as she she heads to the door of their living quarters, catching her hand and softening her features as she stares deep into the latina's dark eyes.

"There's something you need to know" the blonde murmurs and Santana stares back at her curiously, spotting guilt in her wife's hazel eyes. "But..not here" Quinn adds quietly.

0-00-0

Puck paces back and forth inside the old barn, listening carefully for any sounds of an approaching vehicle. He glances out of the barn door every time he passes it, waiting impatiently for Chang to get there, sighing every time he realises he's nowhere in sight yet.

"They told Santana" Sam states as she crawls out of the tent that's pitched at the back of the damp building.

"Why the hell would they do that?" Noah snaps, snatching the cell phone from the other man's hand and reading the message. "The whole point of this is so she doesn't know" he hisses.

"No, the whole point of this is to keep it quiet from the mole, the mole will still think that they're safe. Karofsky says she furious" Sam murmurs, suddenly nervous after all the stories he's heard about the Latina.

"Of course she is you asshole!" Puck snaps. "Everyone she trusts have been lying to her and she nearly died because of our plan backfiring. We're still no closer to finding the mole and everything we've done could be for nothing" Puck groans. "You better hope she doesn't have a weapon" he adds as a joke but realising it might not actually be a joke. Sam nods grimly, looking out at the horizon and seeing a motorbike approaching, both men pulling their guns from their belts and not putting them back until they are sure it's who they are expecting.

"Showtime" Sam mutters as Mike glides the bike into the barn, Santana jumping down from behind the Asian man as soon as it stops. The latina's fist collides with Sam's face with surprising force, the blonde man's head whipping to the side. His gaze meets Santana's furious one and he's suddenly thankful that this is all he is getting, nobody else could aim a gun at the woman and live to tell the tale. Puck braces himself when the Latina spins around to face him, shocked when the woman gives him a brief but tight hug, so brief that she has detached herself from him by the time he lifts his arms to hug her back but a hug all the same.

"Any of you lie to me again and you will regret it" Santana warns them, still extremely pissed off but so grateful to know that her lifelong friend hadn't betrayed her. "I need to find the mole and if this arrangement gives us a better chance of finding them then so be it" Santana states.

"We were thinking we could lure them out by sending some sort of message. Sam should still be able to get basic level entry to the FBI database, if he can hack in and at least find out the name of one person on this case we may be able to lure the mole out" Puck explains. "It's a long shot but if it works we'll be in the clear or at least a couple of extra moves against the cops" he adds with a shrug.

"We figured it'd be easier to tackle the Sylvester situation if that's the only thing left to worry about" Evans tells Santana quietly, half expecting the Latina to punch him again. "We kinda have an idea about who it could be...Finn Hudson, Puckerman says that he always seems to be hanging around, it seems too risky to assume it's just because he's a nosey gossip" the man reasons and Santana contemplates this silently. "We always assume it's one of the guards but it could easily be one of the servants" he adds.

"It's not Tina" Mike interrupts.

"He's sleeping with her" Santana murmurs in response to Sam's questioning look. "Brittany likes to talk during dinner" she adds with a shrug, knowing the men would be wondering how the hell she knows that. "Tina's been with us for too long, she's been working for us since before my father died, if she was a mole we would have been in a federal prison years ago" the latina says simply. "Finn has been with us for a few years" she states for Sam's benefit, "He started out as a guard but he is a lumbering idiot who had more chances of blowing his own foot off while cleaning his gun than shooting anyone else. He's always been bitter about it but he should consider himself lucky that he still has a job as a servant" she finishes.

"So there's a chance that he's holding a grudge" Mike states.

"Yes but if we pull him aside and he isn't the mole then we've basically told everyone, including the actual mole, that we know there still is one. It's far too risky, I'd suggest just keeping an eye on him while trying to lure whoever it is out" Puck tells them, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing at Santana. "I can get closer to the tunnel entrance and keep an eye on some of the guards, if they catch me they'll bring me straight to you anyway and all you have to do is keep up appearances" he suggests.

"Maybe, but I put out a shoot to kill order on you, they might be suspicious if I change it now. I'm not exactly known for changing my mind" the latina murmurs, shooting the mohawked man an apologetic look that he shrugs off.

"I need to get to a computer" Sam states, hastily breaking up their small moment. "Is it safe to go back to a town?"

"Karofsky or I will be the ones on look-out at the town thirteen miles west from here, only he and I know just how far out we're patrolling. The others stop at the edge of the forest we came through to get here, we have no idea who to trust anymore so we only tell the other men the absolute minimum. Anderson will be on duty at the edge of the forest tonight so do not go that way" Mike explains. "Karofsky is there now, he and Mrs Fabray-Lopez are the only people who know we left through that way" he adds.

"Find out what you can" Santana mutters to Sam. "Good luck, both of you" she says, nodding curtly and turning back to the bike.

0-00-0

Will Schuester barges through the department door at the FBI headquarters, startling the receptionist that is sitting behind a computer outside of the assistant director's office. Figgins quickly follows him and they both hold up their police badges and their temporary security passes to the guard that approaches him. The burly man motions for them to take a seat while he send the receptionist into the office, watching them both carefully with a slight frown on his face. He had seen their type before, local law enforcement officers who think they're better than the people who run the security for their fine country just because they've made detective, always with some huge ideas about being the hero and getting their name inside a national newspaper. These men we no different, he can tell just by the way they carry themselves, as if they are someone important when in reality they are small fish in a very, very large pond. The security guard watches in distaste as the curly haired man huffs in impatience, clearly unaware of just how busy and important the woman they are waiting to see is.

"Miss Motta will see you now" the red haired receptionist tells them as she exits the office and the two detective rise to their feet, the heavily accented man murmuring a thank you to the woman as they enter the grand office. Sugar Motta eyes the men curiously and gestures to the seats in front of her desk with her perfectly manicured hand.

"Sugar Motta" she states politely, holding her hand out for each man to shake as they sit down. "I hear you have been looking into the Fabray-Lopez case, I'm curious as to why. I thought you were only assigned to gather the evidence from their compound but a leak in your office tipped them off so I am unsure as to what you want from the FBI" Sugar tells them with genuine curiousity on her features.

"We found evidence that there is a child with them, an infant" Figgins states.

"I'm aware of that, it was a good find but that doesn't answer my question" the woman tells him with a raised brow.

"We know you have someone undercover and we'd like to meet with them if possible" Will interjects.

"Don't you think if it was possible for us to be in contact with our undercover agents that we would have Lopez and Fabray in custody already?" Sugar snaps.

"Agents? As in more than one?" Will asks in disbelief.

"Yes. We have two agents who are deeply undercover and we are not in communication with them at the moment. We do, however, have a meeting planned with one of them tonight but neither of them have made it to any of the recent meetings due to being unable to get away from wherever the hell they are or because they're dead. The FBI has a lot riding on these agents bringing us the information we need so I sincerely hope it's not because they're dead. We believe that bringing in Lopez and Fabray will help us find Sylvester as well so we need to bring them in alive, or at least one of them" the woman explains.

"We want to stay on the case" Figgins insists. "We could be a big help"

"I don't doubt that for a second" Miss Motta replies in her most condescending tone. "However, this is outside of your jurisdiction and the FBI don't usually take demands from small town detectives but since your search warrant did bring some evidence to the table I will allow it. You will answer to our agents at all times, you will not be leading the investigation in the slightest and you will hand over everything you know to the agent in charge" she tells them firmly. "If you can't agree to these terms then you will have nothing to do with this case" Sugar adds.

"We understand" Schuester nods.

"Good" the woman smiles. "Bring me the Lopez-Fabray files" she orders into the intercom. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you that whatever you learn in this room must stay in this room unless you're talking to one of the agents on the case" Sugar states pointedly.

"Of course. We appreciate this more than you know Miss Motta" Figgins smiles in what Sugar assumes is supposed to be charming voice. She smiles tightly at the two men in front of her, leaning back in her chair as her receptionist enters the room with a thick file in her hand, the red stamp on the front of it reminding the detectives of just how serious and confidential this case is.

"Unfortunately, I'm only able to tell you the details of one of our undercover agents" Sugar states with a small blush, Will and Figgins realising that the director hasn't told her the name of the second one, clearly her smug 'I know everything' demeanour is just an act but neither of them say anything; one bad word from her and they will no longer be on this case. "The agent I am able to tell you about is someone you may find familiar. Their family aren't aware that her job at the Lopez-Fabray compound was just a cover, I believe there is a missing persons report out for her" Sugar smirks. She slides a piece of paper across the perfectly varnished and much too large desk, "Special Agent Rachel Berry"

_**Please drop me a review to let me know what you think, I'm not too proud to beg ;)**_

_**Thank you for reading!**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**A/N - So I wasn't expecting to update this anytime soon but after looking through my notes I've decided to try and get this story finished over the two weeks. There are around seven chapters left so I'll be mostly focusing on this until it is done. **_

_**Thank you for your patience while waiting on this chapter, I hope you all stick around for the rest of this story! :)**_

_**R&R please.**_

Chapter 16

Brittany jumps as the door to their temporary living quarters is thrown open, her eyebrows rising in surprise as Santana storms through it, slamming the door closed behind her. Brittany watches as dark, furious eyes flick over to her and soften for a split second, Santana opening her mouth to say something but stopping when Quinn steps out of their bedroom. The latina's icy glare towards Quinn causes Brittany's heart to thump heavily, she hasn't seen this look in Santana's eyes for a long time and even then it had never been directed at any of them. Her eyes dart nervously to the bedroom door, noticing Rachel leaning there with a look of curiosity plastered on her face.

"What's going on?" Rachel questions and Santana glances over at her for a moment before directing her gaze back to Quinn again. Brittany watches in awe as Quinn stares levelly back at the angry latina, not even backing down for a second. If anything, Quinn looks almost bored of the hostility aimed at her.

"Santana doesn't like it when she isn't completely in charge" Quinn states simply, causing Santana's glare to intensify and her jaw to clench.

"Well we already knew that" Brittany smirks, noticing a flash of amusement in Santana's almost black eyes before the latina controls herself and stalks passed Rachel into the bedroom. "She's back?" Brittany asks quietly. Quinn glances over at the other blonde and gazes at her for a moment before nodding.

"She's back" Quinn confirms as her cell phone rings, the woman following Santana into their bedroom to answer it. Brittany sighs softly as she slumps down onto the sofa, watching Rachel carefully as the short brunette busies herself by cleaning up in the kitchen. It unnerves her to see Rachel being so quiet and withdrawn, in the year she has known her Rachel had always been the opposite.

"What do you think that was about?" Brittany asks her softly and Rachel shrugs.

"Business" the diva sighs. "We don't get to know that stuff, remember" Brittany flinches at the bitterness in the other woman's tone and chooses not to push it any further, Rachel clearly doesn't want to discuss it.

0-00-0

Quinn stays silent as she watches Santana open the safe, frowning when her wife doesn't place the one strapped to her hip inside of it, instead pulling out a small revolver and strapping it to her ankle. The latina slams the safe closed and loudly curses in spanish when the loud bang scares Michael out of his nap, the toddler wailing loudly. Santana leans over his crib and lifts her son into her arms, ignoring the searing pain that shoots through her shoulder.

"You should be wearing the sling" Quinn states in disapproval, rolling her eyes when her wife shoots her a sour look. "I did what I had to do. You caught Puckerman reacting too early so we did what we had to do to make sure our efforts weren't for nothing. Evans was supposed to miss you we had a decoy body set up to take the blame so that the mole would think they were safe" Quinn explains.

"You already told me all of this" Santana snaps. "Why the fuck would you keep this from me? Perhaps I would have known to stand fucking still if you had told me about Evans aiming a gun near me!" she whispers harshly. "We are partners. This is both of our business. You had to no right to leave me out of this! What would have happened if I'd died, huh? Can you protect Michael and our girls on your own?" Santana questions and Quinn can't bring herself to disagree with the latina; she knows she is right. She gazes down at the carpet and sighs softly, thinking about what her wife has just said. Santana didn't care about dying, she isn't scared of death..all she cares about is keeping their family safe, her being alive improves their chances of surviving.

"I'm sorry" Quinn murmurs sincerely. "I fucked up. I'm scared, Santana. We used to be untouchable. The two of us were feared and respected. Ever since...that night" Quinn glances at Michael and falters, "Ever since that night, things have been slowly falling apart. I love Michael and I love Brittany and Rachel but having these extra people in our lives that we care about scares me. We need all the luck in the world just to get them out of this alive" Quinn explains with a vulnerability in her hazel eyes that Santana hasn't seen before.

"I keep having these dreams. Dreams that I haven't had in years, dreams about people that I've killed. I thought it was guilt but now I don't think it is. It's not remorse, it's a reminder. A reminder of what I have to do" Santana sighs as she places Michael back into his crib, smoothing down his unruly curls. "The only regrets I have are poor decisions I've made about who to trust. I thought I cared about the lives I've taken but when I think about it, I know that it has benefited us. Our past put us on a path that led us to where we are now and it led us to Brittany and Rachel and Michael. Right now, we are dealing with our biggest challenge but don't be scared because we can win this. I've never thought twice about pulling the trigger and I won't start now. Those cops want us alive, they won't kill us so we will kill them" Santana states severly, fire in her dark eyes.

"Slyvester will" Quinn retorts. "She'll kill us the first chance she gets"

"Well then, I guess we don't give her a chance" Santana smirks and Quinn studies her intensely, realising that the Santana standing in front of her at this moment is the Santana she married. A formidable force to be reckoned with, clear headed and ready to strike at the first second's notice...dangerous. An injured shoulder isn't going to stop _this_ Santana. "We need to have some sort of a game plan for when the cops and Sylvester find us. We need to work something out with Karofsky and Chang and then we need to talk to Puckerman and Evans" Santana adds with determination. Quinn watches as Santana strips out of her mud spattered clothes and pulls on a pair of khakis and yet another long sleeved t'shirt. "Let's go"

0-00-0

Rachel ignores her cell phone as it buzzes in the waistband of her sweatpants, glancing over at Brittany to make sure the blonde woman didn't hear it. She impatiently waits for Brittany to leave, knowing she has been planning to go upstairs to the gym, the younger woman always getting anxious when she doesn't get to work out for a few days. Rachel knows she won't be alone for too long, the gym here isn't as well equipped as the one back home. Home. Did she really view that place as home? No, she can't personalise this. She's kept up the act for so long..she can't blow it all now.

"I'm gonna go work out. I'll be back soon" Brittany states, interrupting Rachel's thoughts and the diva forces a smile to her face.

"Okay, see you soon" she responds, accepting the kiss that Brittany offers her, her smile feeling more and more strained by the second. She watches as the other woman leaves their living quarters, noticing one of the guards trailing behind the blonde as Matt stays beside the door. The man gives her a polite nod as he pulls the door closed and Rachel waits a few minutes before moving into the bathroom and pulling her cell phone from her waistband. It vibrates in her hand before she can dial and she accepts the call immediately.

"Yeah?" she greets.

"What took you so long? Are you alright?" the male voice asks.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. I've been waiting to call you for hours but I haven't been alone" Rachel states apologetically.

"Have you found anything out?" he questions urgently.

"Nothing substancial. From what I can gather, Quinn went behind Santana's back about something. They were arguing but I couldn't make out what they were saying. They said they were going to talk to the guards about shift patterns but it's more than that..I just know it. Santana's growing stronger. We should have struck while she was weak, now they're stronger than ever. I know these women and the look in Santana's eyes...we need to act soon" Rachel explains.

"Tomorrow" her partner states. "We need to get out of here tomorrow and send out the co-ordinates"

"Tomorrow? Are you sure? I don't know if I can definitely get out tomorrow. I never know when I'll be alone, not in advance. Shooting our way out isn't a good idea either" Rachel murmurs.

"Call when you can. We need to end this before Sylvester does, all our work will be for nothing if she gets her hands on the kid because she'll kill Lopez and Fabray, guaranteed. I have to go, one of the guards is coming. I'll call you when I can" he rushes out before hanging up. Rachel sighs heavily as she slips her cell phone back into her waistband, turning to leave the bathroom and freezing when she finds Matt standing in the doorway.

"Rutherford, you scared me" she cries out , holding her hand over her heart in a dramatic fashion.

"Who are you?" Matt asks simply, pulling his gun out of the holster and aiming at her.

"What are you doing?!" Rachel questions in a faux terrified voice.

"I heard everything. Who are you?" the guard repeats, his bruised face serious.

"I suggest you lower your weapon. Quinn and Santana will kill you where you stand if they catch you" Rachel warns. Matt falters at this and she uses the distraction to snatch the gun from his hand, turning the tables on him and pointing the weapon at his head.

"Are you a cop?" he asks, trying to be brave but his voice wavers and betrays him.

"The cops like to believe I am" the petite woman smirks. "I'm supposed to be a double agent but I guess I'm what you could call a triple agent" she adds smugly.

"Sylvester?" Matt asks, even though he now already knows the answer.

"Duh" she responds mockingly. "You're a smart man, Matthew. I'm sure you can work out why I'm admitting this to you" Matt nods, knowing she's going to kill him. His heart hammers against his rib cage as he stares down the barrel of his own gun. He closes his eyes and accepts his fate. He doesn't pray, there'd be no point after everything he has done. The last thing he hears is the deafening bang from the gun.

_**To be continued...Thank you for reading. reviews are greatly appreciated :)**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter, I'm so glad you guys have stuck around!**_

_**A/N - There was a little confusion regarding the "triple agent" comment. What I mean by that is, Rachel is pretending to be working for the police against Santana and Quinn but in reality she is betraying the police and Santana/Quinn. Her loyalties are with Sylvester.**_

_**R&R please.**_

Chapter 17

It doesn't take long for Rachel to hear the sound of frantic footsteps entering their living quarters and she quickly wipes down the gun and throws it onto the floor, backing herself into the corner of the bathroom. Finn's large body stumbles into the room, almost tripping over Matt's body and he stares in horror at the dead guard, his eyes widening at the large pool of blood beside the man's head. The servant notices Rachel and he picks up the gun before rushing towards her, concern written all over his face.

"Don't worry, Ma'am. I won't let anything happen to you" he swears to her. "Who did this? Did you see where they went?" he questions frantically, his eyes widening in confusion when Rachel screams, his ears ringing from the intense volume and pitch. "Ma'am?! What? Are they still here?" Finn looks around cluelessly, not realising what the woman is doing; framing him.

"No..No don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me" she yells, putting her acting skills to full use as she hears several sets of quick footsteps in the other room. Finn stares at her in shock as she breaks down sobbing in front of him, pleading for her life and he slowly realises what is happening just as something strikes the back of his neck, his gaze going black and his body crumpling beneath him.

"Miss Berry, are you okay?" Rachel looks through her crocodile tears at Azimio and Zizes, noticing other guards behind them as she is pulled to her feet. "Did Hudson do this?" Azimio questions and she nods shakily, giving an oscar worthy performace of the shocked victim. "Get Hudson out of here, do not let him out of your sight!" Azimio orders. "And call Mistress Santana and Quinn, now!" he adds as the other guards drag Finn out of the bathroom. Rachel squeezes her eyes closed as she is led passed Matt's body, keeping up the act of the traumatised victim.

"What the hell is going on?" Quinn demands as she walks into the living quarters, stopping the guards dragging Finn in their tracks.

"He shot Rutherford, Ma'am. Miss Berry saw everything. She's okay, Azimio got there just in time" one of the guards explains.

"And Rutherford?" Quinn asks.

"He didn't make it, ma'am"

"Take Hudson upstairs. Make sure he isn't left on his own for even a moment" Quinn orders, watching as the men drag Finn out of the living quarters. "And send someone to clean up the mess" she calls after them before walking over to Rachel, sitting down on the sofa next to her. "Are you okay?" she asks quietly, placing her hand on the woman's lower back in a small show of affection.

"I thought he was going to kill me" Rachel whimpers. "It was lucky that the guards came when they did" she adds quietly, looking up at Quinn in time to see the blonde's jaw set.

0-00-0

Mike silently follows Santana as she strides along the hallway of the top floor, heading straight for the small gym and walking passed the guard that stands outside. Santana wildly looks around the room for Brittany, motioning for Mike to stay where he is when she hears the sound of one of the showers running. The latina walks across the room and pulls open the door that leads to the two shower stalls and whipping the curtain open, startling Brittany as she does so.

"Santana, what are...?"

"I need you to go back downstairs" Santana interrupts as she reaches out to turn the water off.

"What's going on?" Brittany asks in confusion while Santana wraps a towel around her and passes her a robe.

"Security breach" Santana responds simply, motioning for Brittany to put the robe on and pulling her from the stall once she does so.

"Are you coming with me?" Brittany questions her, frowning when Santana shakes her head. "I don't want to go without you" she adds softly. "San..."

"Just do what I'm telling you to, Brittany!" Santana snaps. The latina's harsh expression softens when she spots the hurt in the other woman's bright blue eyes. "I'm sorry. Please just do this for me. I need to know that you're safe"

"Okay" Brittany whispers softly, her eyes downcast.

"Hey" Santana murmurs to gain back the woman's attention again. "I love you" the latina whispers, shocking Brittany. She knows Santana loves her, she's known for a long time but it's extremely rare for the latina to vocalise it. Even Quinn, who is perhaps more open than Santana, only says it every so often.

"I love you too" the blonde murmurs with a small smile. Santana studies her for a moment before nodding and guiding her back into the gym where Mike and Zizes, she assumes Quinn sent her down, are waiting.

"Take Miss Pierce downstairs to our living quarters and stay there please. Inform my wife that I'm going to have a chat with Hudson" Santana orders the female guard, her dangerous tone of voice sending chills down Mike's back. Santana watches Brittany and Lauren leave, an out of breath Karofsky brushing passed the two women in the doorway. "What's the story?" the latina demands.

"Miss Berry caught Hudson killing Rutherford. Rutherford caught Hudson speaking to someone on the outside so Hudson killed him to cover his tracks. He obviously wasn't counting on Miss Berry still being in your quarters" Dave states.

"Why did he use our quarters? Who was he talking to?" Santana questions, neither men missing the fact that she has pulled her gun from her hip holster.

"I don't know, Ma'am. He's secured in the locker room, Anderson is there" Karofsky responds.

"Fine. Call off the shoot to kill order for Evans and Puckerman and bring them here, we're gonna need them. Take Anderson with you, Chang will be with me" Santana orders. Karofsky nods. Santana turns to study Mike as the other guard leaves and the man knows what she is asking him. Finn is one of them, or he was one of them anyway; this interrogation will be different than others. He gives her a nod, noticing the tiny smile that ghosts on her lips for a mere second. Santana leads him out of the gym and along the hall to the locker room, Blaine and Karofsky passing them as they jog in the opposite direction. Her face hardens as they enter the locker room to find Finn tied to a chair, his head bowed and still unconscious. Santana's anger towards the man almost overwhelms her and she breathes deeply, forcing herself to take control of her emotions. Mike stands by the door as she steps forward and grabs the jug of water from the bench, filling the plastic cup that sits next to it. Santana places her gun on the bench and walks back to Finn, throwing the water in his face and sharply slapping his cheek. "Wake up!" she snaps. The man groans and blinks heavily, staring up at his boss with unfocused eyes.

"Ma'am? What's going on?" he croaks out and Santana scoffs, slapping her hand against his face again, hard.

"You can stop the innocent act, Hudson. Who are you working for?" Santana demands harshly.

"What?! Ma'am, I don't know what you're talking about! Please tell me what is going on" Finn pleads, panic rising inside of him as each second passes.

"Rutherford caught you talking to your boss so you killed him and you can count yourself _extremely_ lucky that the guards caught you before you could do the same to Miss Berry because your heart would not be beating right now if you had harmed her" the latina spits, striking him with her palm for the third time. "I suggest you start talking pretty damn soon as I'm sure you know what happens during my interrogations" she adds, venom dripping from her voice.

"Matt was already dead when I got there, I swear! I heard the gunshot so I ran in there and found Miss Berry alone with him body. She started screaming when I got there, she was acting as though I was gonna hurt her" Finn explains rapidly, his words jumbling together as he realises his predicament. He had seen people being dragged into the interrogation room back at the compound numerous times, not once had he seen them come back out alive. Finn knows he has no chance of survival if he can't make his boss believe him, he knows there is evil inside of her and that she will disregard any human life apart from a special few.

"Oh I see, Miss Berry is lying" Santana states sarcastically. "Why would she do that?"

"I don't know! She's setting me up! I swear, I'm not betraying you. It's her!" Finn cries desperately. "She's setting me up" he adds.

"You have motive. Are you still bitter about demoted to a servant? After your screw up you were lucky to still be alive..it's a bonus that you still have a job!" Santana explains furiously.

"She's setting me" Finn weakly says again, wincing when Santana grabs her gun and holds it underneath his chin.

"Who are you working for?" the latina asks, ignoring his pleas of innocence. His chin quivers as he struggles against the sobs that surge up from his throat and he squeezes his eyes shut. The man breathes heavily, nervou beads of sweat collecting on his brow as Santana moves away from him, once again placing her gun on the bench and pulling a lighter from her pocket. Finn looks up in time to see his Mistress pulling a coat hanger from one of the racks inside of the locker room, spying the lighter in her hand and immediately knowing what she is about to do to him. Santana looks up as Quinn joins them in the room, their eyes locking for a brief moment in silent conversation. Finn watches them as Santana catches her wife up on the details, knowing by the flash of anger in Quinn's hazel eyes that he is well and truly screwed. Quinn turns to stare at him, her face an unreadable mask as her wife runs the flame of her lighter along the hook of the coat hanger. Mike steps forward and puts a switch blade from his pocket, cutting his pants and shirt from Finn's restrained body, leaving him in his boxers and vest.

"Your time is running out, Mr Hudson. Who are you working for?" Quinn questions quietly.

"I only work for you" he chokes out around his sobs. "I promise" Santana silently shakes her head and gives Mike a nod, the guard smirking as he pulls his jacket off and begins to wrap bandages around his knuckles. "Mike..please, you know me! You know I didn't do this!" Finn cries pleadingly.

"Tell us what we want to know and this will be over much quicker" Santana states, glaring at the man who she thinks killed the guard who saved her child. "Who are you working for? How much do they know?" Finn sobs bitterly, shaking his head and tucking his chin into his chest.

"She set me up" he repeats shakily, screaming out in pain as Santana presses the searing hot metal of the coat hanger into his bare thigh. "Please!" he yells, "Please!"

"Shut your fucking mouth!" the latina spits out furiously, smacking the back of her hand across his face. "The only thing I want to hear from you is the answers to my questions!" she adds, putting further pressure onto the metal, his cries of pain echoing in the small room. "Tell me who you're working for" she grinds out, the man only able to sob and shake his head, unable to properly defend his innocence.

"Very well" Quinn states as Santana steps back, the blonde woman nodding to Mike. Finn feels his heart rate quicken as Mike takes a step forward, squeezing his eyes shut as the guard lifts his fist.

0-00-0

Rachel glances down at Brittany as the woman sleeps on the sofa, feeling her cell phone vibrate against her hip. She walks into the bedroom and quietly closes the door closed behind her, sparing a fleeting glance at Michael's sleeping form as she passes his crib and heads into the closet. Rachel pulls her cell phone out and reads the message flashing on the screen, _Being placed on lockdown. need to move now. Meet me in my quarters. I'll take care of your guard._ She sighs softly and shoots off a quick reponse. In order to get to Sylvester she needs to keep up the act to her partner, she can dispose of him once they get out of here. She knows that it may blow her cover completely if his body is found but she also knows there is no way she can risk him realising she is betraying him. Rachel swiftly makes her way over to Santana and Quinn's safe, her careful watching in the past pays off as she easily punches in the code, smirking at the collection of weapons inside.

"Rachel?" Brittany calls out as she opens the door to the bedroom and the brunette curses herself.

"You should have slept longer" she notes, turning to face the taller woman and pointing a gun at her. "Make one sound and I will kill you where you stand" Rachel threatens and Brittany's blue eyes widen in horror. Rachel quickly dials her partner's number and holds the cell phone to her ear. "We've got a problem. You need to come down here" she states when he answers, hanging up after his response. Tears leak down Brittany's face and she whimpers softly. "Shut up" Rachel whispers harshly. "If you want to survive you will keep your mouth closed and do exactly as I say" she adds. Rachel knows she can't kill Brittany, not without blowing her cover with her partner, she needs him to keep thinking she's on the side of the law. The two women stare at each other silently, Brittany's fear building with each second that passes. Rachel smirks as the bedroom door opens a little further, her partner leaning against the doorframe.

"Ladies" the man states in greeting, a small smile playing on his lips, unaware that his partner will soon betray him.

"Brittany, I'm sure you know Special Agent Hummel" Rachel drawls, smirking smugly as she watches the shock register on Brittany's face.

_**To be continued.. Thank you for reading. Please review :)**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you so much for all of the recent reviews, they keep me so motivated! :)**_

_**R&R please.**_

Chapter 18

Brittany glances at Michael in his crib, feeling panic rise up in her chest as she wonders what is going to happen with him. Rachel follows her gaze and smirks in a way that causes the hairs on the back of Brittany's neck to stand up. Brown eyes that used to be warm and affectionate are now cold and bitter, it's a look that Brittany never thought she would see on Rachel's face. Brittany takes a sudden step forward, putting herself between Michael and Rachel, flinching when Rachel points the gun in her face.

"Forget the kid, Berry. We'll just bring unwanted attention to ourselves if we take him" Kurt tells her and Rachel internally fumes. It'd make her job so much easier if she already has Michael when the time comes for her to dispose of Hummel and make her way to Sylvester but she needs him to get out of here and taking the kid will make him suspicious. She needs him to trust her for a little while longer.

"It was you who killed Matt" Brittany whispers. "Wasn't it?"

"No. That was Hudson" Rachel lies, needing Kurt to believe this otherwide he'd question why she killed him instead of arresting him like they did with Brittany. "Whatever" Rachel shrugs. "Criminals killing criminals makes my job easier, they're not the important ones" she states indifferently. "Which guard was outside?" the petite woman asks.

"Zizes. She's taking a little nap" Kurt smirks. "Which is why we need to move fast, if someone notices there isn't a guard outside then they may come to investigate why" he adds and Rachel nods. "Alright, Brittany...here's deal. We want to get out of here peacefully and you're going to make sure of that. If we have to shoot our way out of here then your beloved murderers might not live through it. You're going to come with us and you will get us out of here. If you raise the alarm we will drag you out of here while you're unconscious" Kurt explains seriously. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes" Brittany whispers fearfully. She knows she needs to comply, at least until they are out of the building... she can't risk Quinn or Santana being hurt. She just needs to bide her time and raise the alarm once they are almost completely out of here, at least then Santana and Quinn can escape with Michael. She may not be able to save herself but she can at least give the people she loves a chance.

0-00-0

Shelby sighs loudly as she locks the door of the grungy gas station bathroom, listening carefully with her head as close to the door as she can get it without touching it. Sebastian's cheerful whistling drifts further away as he heads inside the store to pay for the gas. She pulls her cell phone out of her bra and dials a number before holding it to her ear, waiting impatiently for the other person to pick up.

"Motta" Shelby sighs softly with relief and pulls the phone away from her ear to dial six, nine, three into the phone before placing it back to her ear. She can't talk, she can't risk being overheard and now her boss knows this. "It's good to hear from you, we thought you were dead" Sugar's nasally voice states. "We have a meeting with our inside agents tomorrow, we're not hopeful that they'll turn up...they haven't met us in weeks" she explains. "Do you remember where you need to go? Dial twice for yes, once for no" Shelby presses down on a random button twice. "Good. I'm assuming your cover is still intact?" Sugar questions. Shelby dials twice again. "Get to the meeting place as soon as you can, we'll have someone there to meet you. Good luck and do not screw this up" Sugar adds before ending the call. Shelby rolls her eyes at being spoken to like a child by a person who is ten years younger than her. She puts her cell phone back inside her bra and calmly unlocks the bathroom door and steps out into the cold night air, heading for the store and meeting Sebastian as he steps out with a bag of food.

"I have to piss. The car leaves in five minutes, with or without you" Sebastian states coldly, brushing passed her before stopping and turning back to face her. "In fact, it's your turn to drive" he tells her, shoving the keys into her hand before sloping off to the bathroom. Shelby rolls her eyes as she heads into the store, the sooner she can stop this charade; the better.

0-00-0

Brittany keeps her gaze trained on the floor as she is led along the bottom floor of the safe house, knowing that if any of the guards or servants made eye contact with her she would give herself away. Rachel's tight grip on her hand makes her feel sick to her stomach and she wishes that she was strong enough to fight her way out of this or that Santana would miraculously know what is happening and save the day. That won't happen. Brittany hears a low cry of pain and sickening, dull thud and she looks up to see a guard crumpling to the floor.

"Don't worry, they're not dead" Kurt states, "We, unlike you, don't support murder" he adds coldly as he opens the door that leads to the tunnel. It takes him a few seconds to disarm and knock out the two guards that are there and Brittany whimpers as she is manhandled into the backseat of one of the landrovers, Rachel sliding in after her. Brittany presses her hand against her pocket, touching the cell phone she had grabbed from their bedroom and feeling her heart rate slow down a little bit.

"Where are you taking me?" Brittany asks in, what she hopes is, a strong voice as Kurt climbs into the driver's seat.

"You'll know when we get there" he replies cryptically. "For now, keep your mouth shut and we won't have any problems. "Berry, join me in the front and have her lie down; if people see her now we're screwed" he adds. Rachel nods and climbs forward into the front passenger seat, leaning back to harshly shove Brittany down onto her side. She squeezes her eyes closed as the car starts to move through the tunnel, feeling claustrophobia set in. Only this time, there isn't anyone to help her through it. She needs to stay calm and can't let the panic take over, she needs to warn Santana and Quinn first..it doesn't matter what happens to her after she has done that, she just needs to warn them.

"There will be three guards at the end of the tunnel, they will be heavily armed. Our cover will be blown as soon as we pass them" Brittany vaguely hears Hummel say and she forces herself to wait until then to make the call.

"They'll chase us" Rachel responds. "We need to use force"

"Tear gas. We can't shoot our way out of here, Motta wants as many of them as possible to make it out alive, she wants them in prison; not dead" Kurt argues. "When I tell you, open your door , drop it and then close it as fast as you can. Nothing fancy. The tear gas will allow us some time to get away and that's all we need" Brittany uses their voices as a way to keep herself grounded and she concentrates on keeping her breathing even. The young woman calculates that she will only have a few seconds to yell a warning into the cell phone before Rachel wrestles it from her; she needs to be able to speak clearly...not be a gasping mess.

"This better work. I don't want my years of hard work to be for nothing" Rachel tells her partner, acid dripping from her voice. "I had to share a bed with three dykes while you got to swan around the place and look after a baby or vacuum. Do not mess this up"

"You are the one dropping the tear gas so I guess the only person who can mess it up is..you" Kurt snaps. "It'll work. It has to!" Brittany notices the light at the end of the tunnel and slowly pulls the cell phone from her pocket. The thought of texting Santana had crossed her mind but she needs Santana to know that it is definitely her and she has a feeling that she may be frisked at some point. No, she needs to call her, not text her, and she needs to do it now. Brittany silently pushes down on speed dial one and watches the screen carefully, waiting for confirmation that the call is connected. She urges Santana to answer quickly. Calling...calling..connected.

"Santana! Get out of there! It's Rachel and..." Her yell is interrupted by Rachel snatching the cell phone from her and the last thing she sees is the other woman's fist heading for her face.

_**To be continued...Thank you for reading. I would love it if you could take the time to leave a review. :)**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**A/N - As long as there is still interest in this, I will be updating it pretty much every day until it is finished. Sorry for the long wait, hopefully the quick updates after this chapter will make up for it!**_

_**R&R please.**_

Chapter 19

Quinn gazes at Santana in concern, her wife's eyes clouding over with horror and fear as her cell phone falls to the floor with a loud clatter. The look on Santana's face scares Quinn, she has never seen such an intense mixture if fury, fear and devastation on anyone's face, never mind her wife's. It's so strange a sight that Mike has stopped what he had been doing and walks away from a bloody and breathless Finn, coming to a stop in front of Santana. Chang bends down and picks up the cell phone, handing if straight to Quinn. His brow furrows in confusion and concern.

"Ma'am?" Mike questions gently, "what's going on?"

"It's not him," Santana whispers, her face contorting with rage, the fury flowing through her causing her to shake. "It's not Hudson."

"What?! How do you know? Who called you?" Quinn questions urgently.

"See! I told you it wasn't me," Finn chokes out, blood dripping from his mouth.

"Shut your fucking mouth!" Santana snaps, storming over to him and pulling her gun from it's holster. She harshly presses the barrel against his forehead while glaring at him, her nostrils glaring. "It's not good news for you, we can't expect you to be trustworthy now," Santana states darkly, her dark eyes wide and wild.

"No! Please! You can trust me! I've never done anything against you and I never will," Finn pleads, the sadistic side to Santana's nature enjoying him begging for his life.

"Be a good boy and we may let you out of here when we come back," Santana sneers, her voice dripping with malice. "Let's go." Santana turns on her heel and storms from the locker room, gesturing for Mike and Quinn to follow her. She motions for the first guard she sees to stand outside of the room before leading them to the next nearest room; the medical room. "Get out." Santana orders a startled Emma, watching as the woman almost trips up in her haste to leave.

"Santana?" Quinn's desperate tone in enough to cut through Santana's red mist of anger. "What's going on?"

"Brittany's gone. Rachel betrayed us, she and whoever she's working with took Brittany," Santana spits out. "Shit! She was with Michael!" Santana tears out of the room, Quinn and Mike hot on her heels. She sprints along the corridor and slams the door open, almost passing out with relief when she finds Tina sitting on the couch with Michael on her lap. The toddler looks overjoyed to see his mothers and he lets out an excited squeal when he is scooped into Santana's arms, his chubby little arms instantly wrapping around her nap and his curly haired head immediately resting on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, he cried for you and I..."

"It's fine," Santana cuts Tina off, "I need you to keep him in your sights at all times. You are the only person we can trust with him now." Tina looks surprised at this. It's not often that Santana voices her trust in a servant and it's even rarer that someone is trusted with Michael. "Rachel has been working against us. She took Brittany. Brittany managed to get a call out but she got cut off before she could tell us who is working with Rachel," Santana explains in a dangerously calm voice.

"Sylvester or the cops?" Quinn questions softly.

"I don't know," Santana admits. "We need to find her and then we need to run, whoever it is will know where we are soon." She turns to face Mike when she hears his radio crackle, the guard listening carefully to what another guard is telling him.

"They used tear gas to get out," Mike murmurs, "the guards in the tunnel are okay."

"Anyone working with Sylvester would not have hesitated to kill them." They all whip around to see Puck standing in the doorway, Sam and Karofsky standing behind him. "She's obviously a cop."

"Puckerman, Evans," Santana mutters in greeting, feeling relieved that they are back..she knows they can definitely be trusted. "Karofsky, have the whole placed searched..I want to know who is missing...who is working with Rachel," she orders.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Chang, release Hudson. Take him to Doctor Pillsbury and make sure someone watches him, he wouldn't be the first wrongfully accused employee to pull a gun on us so be careful," Santana states, waiting until he is out of the room before turning to Tina. "Chang trusts you and I trust his judgement, don't let me down."

"I won't, ma'am," Tina replies sincerely, standing up and holding her hands out, taking Michael into her arms again.

"Oh, and you're fired," Santana adds.

"Ma'am?"

"If you want to work for us then it won't be as a servant, you have more uses than that," Santana explains. "Take him to Chang's quarters and keeping him safe, I'll make sure there is a guard nearby at all times." Tina tries to keep her surprise off of her face and fails, realising she has Santana's respect...it's a huge deal.

"Evans has the co-ordinates for the meet, Brittany will be there. We'll have a huge fight on our hands but we can do it." The determination in Puck's voice tells them that he isn't giving up anytime soon.

"Well then, let's prepare."

0-00-0

Schuester wrinkles his nose as he follows his partner into a disgusting smelling locker room, noticing the two piles of clothes sitting on the bench. They stay silent as they undress, stripping down to their boxers and t'shirts and changing into the clothes left out for them. Motta had irritatingly reminded them that just because they are dressing like her team and going with them, doesn't mean they have the same orders as them. As far as Sugar Motta is concerned, Schuester and Figgins are just along for the ride; something that pisses Schuester off.

"We're better than this," Schuester grumbles, "we're being ordered around by someone who looks like she isn't even old enough to be finished high school."

"It could be worse, we could be getting left behind while they make the arrests," Figgins sighs. Yes, he's not happy about it either, but he's not going to whine about it every damn five minutes like his partner is doing.

"Whatever, I still don't have to like it," Will mutters, causing Figgins to roll his eyes as he pulls the bullet proof vest on and sits down to ties the laces of the combat boots. At least he can retire after this case and some space from Schuester. He likes him and all but his constant whining during every damn case they've had recently is getting on his last nerve. He had tried to be assigned another partner but, this close to retirement, his superior didn't see the point. Now, he's just counting down the days until he can sit on his front porch and watch his young grandchildren play in the yard. He just needs the next few days to go smoothly and then he's free.

"You guys ready?" They both look up as an agent walks into the locker room.

"Almost," Schuester mutters, hostility evident in his tone.

"Get to the briefing room as soon as you are, we want to get on the road soon," the agent replies in a bored voice before leaving them alone again.

"We're better than this," Schuester repeats furiously and Figgins sighs; it's going to be a long few days.

0-00-0

Brittany begins to feel more and more terrified with every passing second that she is inside the car, getting further and further away from Quinn and Santana. She's more scared in this moment than she ever has been in her entire life. Being in police custody means she's going to prison. She knows she will be questioned. The police must want to have Quinn and Santana in their custody really badly and all she can think about is what they'll do to her to get information on their whereabouts. Of course, she'd never give them up, no matter what the police do to her, but that won't stop them from trying. Brittany wonders if she'll still be alive by the end of this. Santana and Quinn are the most wanted criminals in America, the police won't care what happens to her...so long as they get them.

"We're almost there," Rachel murmurs to Kurt, "take a left down here."

"Are you sure?" Kurt asks in confusion. "It seems a little closer than I thought it would be. I mean, it's pretty lucky that the meeting point is here."

"Yes, Kurt, I'm sure," Rachel responds snippily, "turn left!"

"Jeez, okay!" Kurt abruptly turns the car, almost causing Brittany to roll off of the back seat, something that doesn't seem to bother Rachel or Kurt. Rachel carefully watches Kurt out of the corner of her eyes, searching for any signs of suspicion. She calms slightly as the old, run down house she had been looking for comes into view and she spots the car outside of it. "This is definitely the right place, right?" Kurt questions lowly.

"Yes," Rachel nods, "I recognise the car." Kurt lets out a soft sigh of relief when he rolls the car to a stop beside the other one.

"I can't believe we're actually out of there, it's finally over," Kurt states in disbelief as she slides out of the car.

"Oh, it is most definitely over." Kurt whips around as the sound of a male voice, coming face to face with Sebastian and his gun that is aimed steadily at Kurt. "Huh...I see you brought one of Lopez's little sluts...nice work," he sneers as Shelby drags a terrified Brittany out of the car. "How about we take this party inside," Sebastian states with a smirk. Kurt stumbles as he is roughly pushed towards the house, fully aware of the gun being aimed at the back of his head. He groans as the gun is pressed against the back of his head, encouraging him to move faster and he pushes the shabby looking front door open. The house smells damp and it is obvious that nobody has lived here for years. "Keep moving, pretty boy," Sebastian snarls. Kurt is pushed into a dusty living room and thrown down onto a straight backed, armless chair, his arms immediately being yanked behind the back of the chair and tied into place. The rope is rough against his skin and is rubs painfully against his wrists as Kurt desperately tries to catch sight of Rachel.

"Just try and stay calm, Rachel," he calls out as reassuringly as he can, Sebastian chuckling lowly at him.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she's calm," Sebastian tells Kurt smugly. "Rach, are you calm?" he asks with an evil grin.

"Yeah, I'm doing pretty good," Rachel smirks, stepping into Kurt's line of sight. Kurt feels his stomach plummet as he watches Sebastian casually sling his arms around Rachel's shoulders. No. No, she can't be...no. The person Kurt had trusted for almost two years...his partner..his friend..she's betrayed him. Realising that Rachel is no longer on the side of the law, or had she ever been?, feels like a punch in the chest. He watches out of the corner of his eye as Brittany is tied to the chair next to his.

"Nice and tight, Corcoran. We have a lot to talk about with our two friends here," Sebastian smiles, "gotta make sure they don't know more than they're letting on. We don't want to miss anything, do we?" Brittany chokes back a sob as the man rolls up his shirt sleeves, a sickenly sadistic smile spreading across his face. Is this it? Is this how it ends? At the hands of Sylvester's employees while tied up next to an FBI agent, this can't be it..can it?

_**To be continued... Next chapter will be up in the next 36 hours if you want it. Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading :)**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you very much for the reviews for the last chapter, I'm so glad you guys are still so into this!**_

_**R&R please.**_

Chapter 20

Quinn has always been a strong woman. Always in control of her emotions during hard times; hardly ever one to lose her temper. On the rare occasions where her anger does get the best of her, the staff most definitely rememver it. While Santana has a fiery temper, a red hot rage that blew up in everyone's face, Quinn is the opposite. When Quinn is angry it's like a cold front settling in, her demeanour like ice and her eyes cold and always calculating. Today though, there's no controlling her fury; no matter how mentally strong she is. Today, they found out that they have been violated. A violation that lasted for years. Today, someone they love and trust betrayed them and, in doing so, taken another person they love and trust with them. Today, their empire crumples around them. Yes, Quinn is furious.

"Ma'am?" Quinn turns away from the closet full of clothes she had been staring into, finding Mike awkwardly hovering in the doorway of her bedroom. "Doctor Pillsbury would like to know what she should do with Rutherford's body."

"Same as always," Quinn sighs, "burn it."

"No," Santana states as she brushes passed Mike, "he'll be buried somewhere in the grounds."

"Ma'am?" Mike questions in confusion, it seems more personal this time. No employee had ever received a burial before, the bodies were always burnt; straight away.

"Rutherford was a loyal employee. He risked his life to save our son and he lost his life protecting us from someone we didn't even know we needed protection from. He is to be buried. He deserves that...at the very least." Quinn nods her agreement at her wife's words and her gaze automatically flickers over to Michael's crib, the infant sleeping soundly despite all the activities going on around him. She knows that Tina is hanging around outside their bedroom, ready to whisk him away if she needs to. She watches as Santana orders Chang to go get Karofsky, telling him that both of them are to wait in the tunnel for her.

"What are you doing?" Quinn asks Santana, although she is pretty sure that she already knows the answer.

"I'm going with them to bury Rutherford," Santana responds simply and Quinn doesn't argue, she can understand why her wife wants to do this.

"Okay," Quinn nods, "be careful...we don't know how far Rach...she has gotten."

"I know. Be ready to leave when I get back, it's no longer safe for us to stay here," Santana murmurs, leaning forward and kissing her wife softly and chastely. Quinn watches silently as Santana changes her clothes, wonderingif she should go with her. She desperately wants to but, deep down, Quinn knows she is needed here.

"Good luck," Quinn murmurs as Santana heads towards the bedroom door.

"You too."

"Ma'am!" Sam appears in the doorway, breathing heavily. "Hudson's gone!"

"What the fuck do you mean, he's gone?!" Santana demands, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"He fought his way out, we can't find him!"

"Fucking damn it! I want him found and I want him found _now_," Santana fumes, pushing Sam out of the doorway and storming after him as he leads the way, cursing loudly as she goes.

0-00-0

Brittany squeezes her eyes closed as yet another cry of pain comes from Kurt. Sebastian's fist meeting his face with a sickening crack for, what seemed like, the hundredth time. Tears leak from the corners of her eyes as she strains against the rope that binds her wrist behind the back of the chair. Is he going to do that to her as well? She doesn't know anything that Sebastian doesn't already know, will he believe her when she tells him that? Probably not. Brittany stops struggling as the rope burbs and cuts into her wrists. There's no point. Even if she does free herself from the confines of the rope, she'll still be surrounded by people with guns.

"Alright, Smythe, that's enough," Shelby murmurs, "he doesn't know anything. Let Sylvester have her fun with him."

"I knew you'd ruin my fun," Sebastian sighs. His head whips around as a clatter echoes in the hall. "Keep an eye on them," he murmurs before quietly sneaking into the hall. Rachel aims her gun at Kurt's head, ignoring Brittany, as she listens carefully, relaxing when she hears Sebastian talking to whoever is in the hall. Her jaw drops as Sebastian leads a bruised and bleeding Finn into the dank living room.

"What the hell?!" she demands.

"Hudson's been undercover a lot longer than you have," Sebastian explains.

"But I...how the hell are you alive?" Rachel questions in disbelief, "and why didn't you say anything."

"You were dumb enough to have already been overheard," Finn grumbles, "I didn't want you giving me away as well. Although, I wasn't counting on you blaming me, thanks for this by the way," he adds with a scowl, gesturing to his bruised face. "Chang is mine," he states to Sebastian. "You can take down whoever you want but, Chang. is. mine."

"As interesting as all of this is, can we move on with things?" Shelby asks in a bored voice.

"Right. Hudson, you got the co-ordinates?" Sebastian asks.

"Yeah, it was easy enough to get it from Lopez's lap dog. Puckerman really isn't as tough as he thinks he is," Finn states with his gassy infant smirk on his face.

"Good, I want to check it out before the meet. Corcoran can babysit. Berry, you come with us" Smythe says. "Try not to fall asleep on the job," he adds to Shelby. She rolls her eyes as he winks at her, watching him and Finn leave with distain on her features. She watches out of the grime and dust covered window as the two men make their way out to the car, waiting until the vehicle is out of sight before turning back to Kurt and Brittany.

"Finally!" Kurt snaps, "you could have called him off a little earlier," he groans.

"Sorry, I had to make sure he didn't get suspicious. He's a smarmy little bastard but he's not stupid," Shelby explains as she pulls a switch blade knife from her pocket, easily cutting through the rope that ties Kurt to the chair. "Good work getting out of there," she adds as she helps him to his feet. "I had my suspicions about Berry, I wish I had been wrong." Brittany stares at them in silent confusion as they talk, what the fuck is going on?! Shelby pulls her cell phone out of her pocket and presses the speed dial for her superior.

_"Corcoran, you've been out of contact for a while. What's going on?" _Sugar Motta's nasally voice filters through the cell phone.

"Berry's rogue," Shelby states, wasting no time in passing on the information. "Hummel's here and he brought one of Lopez's play things...tall, blonde, blue eyes. Looks like she's much younger than Lopez and Fabray," Shelby explains.

_"Brittany Pierce. She's been with them for just over a year."_ Shelby smirks at the look of astonishment on Brittany's face, it's nice when they're surprised by how much the police actually know. _"Berry's working with Sylvester?"_

"Yeah, she's with Smythe now. Finn Hudson is working with them too, this is a lot more complicated than we anticipated."

_"How far are you from the meeting point?"_

"A few hours drive away," Shelby replies with a sigh. "We need to let them Smythe and the others put some miles between us before we can follow."

_"Okay, good luck. Keep Pierce in your sights at all times, we may need her."_ Shelby ends the call and turns to look at Kurt with a triumphant smile, the man jerking his head in Brittany's direction and Shelby nods.

"Alright, Miss Pierce, no funny business. You're already going to be in a cell for a long time," Shelby states seriously, cutting the ropes that bind Brittany and hauling her to her feet. She replaces the rope with a set of handcuffs that she had concealed in her shirt, tightening them around her slender wrists. "You are under arrest for aiding and abetting known felons..for now. You have the right to remain silent, anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law."

0-00-0

Santana watches silently as Karofsky and Chang shovel dirt on top of Rutherford's body, her features sober and her hands in her pockets. It's getting dark out and the cool night air is refreshing to her after spending ages underground. Her dark, almost black, eyes are expressionless as she watches her employee's, her son's saviour's, grave slowly being filled with dirt. Anger still flows in her veins and she vows to get Brittany back, and to get revenge on Rachel and Kurt. She wonders if she will struggle to kill Rachel but she doubts it. Sure, she loved Rachel, or at least the version of Rachel that she knew, but not as much as she loves Brittany. Brittany is special. She loves Brittany just as much as she loves Quinn, Santana had never had as an intense bond with Rachel as she does with those two and, now that she knows Rachel has betrayed them, Santana _hates_ her. With everything inside of her.

"Karofsky, I need you to do something for me," she murmurs as the men finish off filling the grave, both of them throwing their shovels down.

"Of course, ma'am, what do you need?" Karofsky immediately asks.

"I need you to take Michael and Quinn away from here...far away from here, somewhere safe. I need to know they're safe if something happens to me," Santana explains. "Take Tina with you," she adds, noticing Mike's shoulders slump in relief out of the corner of her eye.

"With all due respect, ma'am, mistress Quinn isn't going to agree to this," Karofsky says carefully.

"I know," Santana nods, "that's why I have this," she says, holding out her hand to show Dave the small vial of liquid she had brought with her.

"Ma'am? You want me to drug your wife?"

"No, I want you to take her somewhere safe after I drug her," Santana replies matter of factly. "She's gonna be pretty pissed when she wakes up so I'll explain that I'm the one responsible once I've slipped it to her, it should take a few minutes to work. She's still gonna be furious, but not with you. I know you don't like this but I need you to do it, I need them to be safe."

"You can count on me, ma'am." Santana's lips curl into a minute small for a split second and she nods at him. Karofsky starts gathering up their things and Santana turns to gaze at Mike curiously when she catches the man watching her.

"Thank you," Mike mumbles. Santana can tell how much it means to him now that he knows Tina will be safe...or at least as safe as she can be.

"Get back to work," she responds, her eyes soft. No further conversation is needed; they understand each other.

_**To be continued...next chapter will be up on Saturday afternoon if you guys want it :) Reviews are greatly appreciated!**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**A/N - I've had a lot of complaints recently about the length of my chapters and my updating pace. I've taken these comments on board but if you really want longer, quicker updates, I'm really going to need some feedback on them once they're posted. It's very disheartening to work hard on updates and then only receive a small amount of feedback. Don't be afraid to let me know what you think! :)**_

_**R&R please.**_

Chapter 21

Santana is silent as she leads Karofsky towards her living quarters, one of her hands buried in her pocket and gripping on to the small vial. Pillsbury had sworn to her that it was safe, it'd just put Quinn to sleep and, in return, Santana had told the doctor that Quinn would never find it out she gave it to her. Santana knows that Quinn will be furious with her for making this decision without consulting her, for drugging her and sending her away. She also knows that simply asking Quinn to leave with Michael won't work, that's why she has to do this. Quinn will eventually forgive her; if she makes it out of this alive, or without being arrested.

"Wait out here, I'll call you in as soon as I'm ready for you," Santana states firmly.

"Yes, ma'am." Santana lets out a low breath as she opens the door and walks inside, finding Tina and Quinn in the kitchen. Quinn smiles tightly in greeting before going back to discussing Tina's new duties. Seeing that Quinn is dustracted, Santana takes the opportunity to crack open two beers, keeping her back to the other women and using her body to hide the beer as she sneakily empties the vial into one of them. Her heart pounds in her chest as she pockets the empty vial and turns around to face Quinn and Tina.

"Why don't you go check on Michael," Santana says. It sounds like a suggestion, but Tina knows it isn't. Quinn waits until their employee is out of the kitchen before fixing her wife with a curious gaze.

"You're up to something," Quinn states with narrowed eyes, "I know you are."

"We have enough people to be suspicious of without turning on each other," Santana responds simply, handing the spiked beer to her wife. "We have a huge fight ahead of us, I wanted us to take a couple of minutes to just be together," she adds.

"We have to get Brittany back," Quinn whispers.

"We will." Santana watches as Quinn takes a large gulp of beer, wondering how long it will take for the drugs to take effect. Would Quinn be able to taste it? Smell it? Pillsbury had assured her that she wouldn't but Santana's on edge, worrying that Quinn will work it out before she's drank enough of it to work. She feels herself relax a little as Quinn slowly polishes off the bottle, her own forgotten beer still in her hand.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Quinn questions, her voice slurring slightly.

"No reason," Santana murmurs, setting her beer on the counter and stepping a little closer to her wife.

"What did you do?" Quinn asks, sudden exhaustion hitting her...she knows it's not natural.

"Karofsky is going to take you and Michael somewhere safe. To get Brittany back I have to get close to Sylvester and the cops...I need you to be somewhere that I know you're safe," Santana explains softly.

"Did..did you put something in the beer?" Quinn's eyes become more and more unfocused as she glares accusingly at Santana.

"Yes." Santana pulls the empty vial out of her pocket, holding it up for Quinn to see.

"You drugged me?!" Quinn is furious..no...beyond furious. She takes a sudden unsteady step forward, Santana grabbing her as her wife heavily leans against her.

"Forgive me, my love, I had to do it," Santana murmurs tenderly as she helps Quinn to the living room, guiding her onto the couch and kneeling on the floor beside it as her wife lays there, completely out of it.

"I love you," Quinn whispers groggily.

"I love you, too," Santana responds, pushing Quinn's blonde hair out of her eyes and watching her carefully. "I know you're mad but try to think about my reasons."

"I'm going to kick your ass." Quinn realises she doesn't sound threatening at all and she sighs heavily, fighting a losing battle with her eyelids.

"Be safe, mi amor." Santana kisses her wife's forehead and watches as her eyes eventually close. "I hope I'll see you again," she whispers to her wife's unconscious form.

"Mistress Santana?" Santana turns to look at Tina as she stands in the doorway to the bedroom, Michael squirming in her arms in an attempt to get to his mother.

"You'll go with them," Santana states firmly. "Give Mistress Quinn this," she says, pulling a folded up piece of paper out of her back pocket and handing it to Tina, "Tell her I need her to read it." Santana walks over to her and lifts Michael into her arms. "You're leaving in five minutes...Chang is close by. Tell Karofsky to come in when you leave." Tina nods and leaves her boss alone, Santana holding her son close to her body and murmuring to him in soft spanish. "Mommy will keep you safe until I come back to you. I'll bring mama Brittany with me, I promise."

0-00-0

Brittany chokes back a sob as she is led outside to the car, the Landrover that had stolen her away from Quinn and Santana. She still fights against the tears that threaten to fall even as she is shoved into the large trunk. The cold metal of the handcuffs painfully rub the sensitive skin of her wrists as she rolls herself onto her side, bracing herself for the vehicle to start moving. She refuses to cry. Santana wouldn't cry, neither would Quinn. Brittany wants to be brave; for them. She misses them so much already and she wishes that Santana or Quinn, or both of them, would jump out from somewhere and rescue her. At the same time, Brittany prays that they are somewhere far away from here; somewhere safe.

"You know exactly where to go?" Brittany hears Kurt ask and she feels a sudden rush of anger shoot through her body. Even just the sound of his voice infuriates her. He had been her friend. She had trusted them, they all had. If he ever comes face to face with Santana or Quinn during this lifetime, he's dead. They won't let him away with this betrayal. Sometime, somewhere, they will come for him and, when they do, Kurt will wish he had died during the raid back at the compound. Her heart thumps wildly against her ribcage as the engine starts, her hopes of getting out of here completely vanishing as the car begins to move. The bumpy road causes her to jerk uncomfortably in the trunk and she winces as her weight is rolled onto her wrists that are cuffed behind her back.

"Hummel, I think we need more than just her," Shelby voice floats over the sound of the engine. "Even if we do get some information out of her, it's not gonna be enough.

"What do you suggest?"

"I think we need to call Lopez and offer a switch. If she truly is capable of love like you say, and if she loves Miss Pierce, she may be open to a swap," Shelby explains. "She may be willing to exchange herself for Miss Pierce."

"No!" Brittany yells out. This can't happen, she knows Santana will say yes. She knows she will sacrifice herself for her and Brittany can't allow that.

"We still have her cell phone, we can use it to call Lopez," Kurt states, both of them ignoring Brittany's outburst. "Lopez won't allow her wife to come. If I know her well enough, and I think I do, she'll have sent Fabray somewhere with the kid to guarantee their safety. Even the devil has someone he cares about."

"Pull over." Brittany feels more tears well in her crystal blue eyes as the car rolls to a stop. She listens as gravel crunches beneath the agents' feet and her heart sinks when the trunk is open, revealing both agents...Kurt holding her cell phone. "This may be your lucky day, miss Pierce," Shelby states smugly.

"Please don't do this, I'm enough," Brittany pleads. "Don't call her, please!"

"While your concern for a mass murderer is touching, I'm gonna go ahead and ignore your pathetic pleading," Shelby says coldly, snatching the cell phone from Kurt's hand and scrolling through it, holding it to her ear a moment later.

0-00-0

Santana watches silently as the car carrying her wife and son slowly disappears up the tunnel, her heart pinching painfully. The dull throb of her injured arm reminds her that Karofsky is the best guard to be with them, he had saved her by getting her back here quickly after she was shot. He will keep Michael and Quinn safe. Mike quietly hovers behind his boss, sadly watching as the love of his life glances out of the back window of the car just before it disappears into the darkness.

"Where are they going?" Mike asks softly.

"I don't know," Santana sighs, "I asked Karofsky to keep it to himself, if none of us know then nobody can get the information out of us." Her cell phone vibrates against her leg and she pulls it out of her pocket to look at the name on the Screen. Brittany. "Brittany? Where are you? Are you okay?" she immediately asks as she accepts the call, Mike eagerly watching her.

_"She's fine,Lopez, for now."_ Santana's stomach drops at the sound of a woman's voice, one she does not recognise.

"Who the hell are you? Let her go or I swear I will murder you in your fucking sleep!" Santana snarls, her nostrils flaring and her blood boiling.

_"We'd be happy to let her go, in exchange for you. We'll let her go as soon as we have you in custody."_

_"No! Santana, don't do it!" _Santana's heart skips a beat when she hears Brittany's terrified voice and she immediately knows what to do.

"Let me talk to her first," Santana demands. She impatiently waits as muffled noises sound down the line, the sound of the phone being passed to someone else.

"_Santana?!"_

"It's me, Brittany," Santana confirms in a soft tone, a tone that is rarely used.

_"Don't do it, don't sacrifice yourself for me," Brittany whimpers pleadingly._

"Brittany, please calm down and listen to me," Santana murmurs. "I have to do this, it's my fault you are in this mess in the first place. Just do what they tell you to do and wait for me to get there, I'm gonna get you out of there, okay?"

_"Please, San, just run!"_

"I can't do that, sweetheart. I won't abandon you, I'll be there soon. Give the phone back to the cops, okay?"

_"I love you, Santana."_

"Me too, Britt, more than you know."

"_Lopez?"_

"Tell me where you are. We'll do the exchange on one condition," Santana states coldly.

_"And what condition would that be?"_

"I bring one of my men with me to guarantee Brittany is taken somewhere safe," Santana firmly tells them. "Otherwise, no deal." She's bluffing, she'd go after Brittany even if she had to go alone. She'd fight an army to save one of her girls.

_"Alright. We'll send the co-ordinates, you have two hours to get here or the deal is off. If you bring more than one guard, the deal will be off then as well." _There's a loud click and the line goes dead.

"Chang?"

"I'll come with you, I'll make sure she gets out of there safely. As soon as she's safe, I'll call the other guards and we'll get you out of there," Mike interrupts before his boss can even ask.

"Brittany is the most important thing, don't do anything unless she is safe. I can handle myself, just get her out of there safely." Her phone beeps and she looks down as the co-ordinates come through, passing the cell for Mike to look at.

"I know where that is," he nods. "We need to leave right now if we only have two hours."

"Alright, let's go."

_**To be continued... Please review. Thank you for reading.**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you so much for the reviews for the last chapter, I really appreciate hearing feedback!**_

_**This chapter is a little shorter than I would have liked but it's building up to a lot of action in the next chapter. Enjoy :)**_

_**R&R please.**_

Chapter 22

Mike casts a sideways glance at his boss, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turn white and strain against his skin. Santana looks terrifyingly calm, her dark eyes unreadable and her plump lips set in a straight line. He's known Santana for eleven years and, every time he thinks he knows what she is about to do, she surprises him. Mike has always respected Santana's strong sense of loyalty and he knows that, despite what her profile on the FBI website says, she is capable of love. In fact, her ability to love is so powerful that she is willing to sacrifice, with a second thought, to ensure that the women she loves and their son is safe.

"How much longer?" Santana's voice is strained and her tone is clipped, a far cry from her usual controlled tone; the only thing that gives her true state of mind away.

"We'll be there in around fifteen minutes, ma'am," Mike murmurs, "we still have thirty minutes until the deadline."

"Remember, Chang, Brittany is the important one. Make sure you get her somewhere safe," Santana reminds him seriously, her voice suddenly firm.

"Yes, ma'am." The rest of the drive is done in an intense silence, both of them thinking and focusing on the major task ahead of them. Failure is not an option. The authorities hold all the cards; they have Brittany. Santana can't remember the last time she went into a situation like this as the underdog, but she sure as hell is this time. The thought alone causes her skin to crawl. She feels weak and powerless...something she is definitely not used to feeling, and she doesn't like it. Not one bit. Santana sits up in her seat as she recognises one of her cars sitting at the side of the rude, slightly hidden by trees. "It's them," Mike mutters, glancing down at the GPS to confirm the co-ordinates.

"Show time," Santana murmurs, no trace of emotion in her voice as she stares at the car as Mike rolls their car to a stop around a hundred metres away from it. They both slowly climb out, their eyes locked on Shelby as, she too, climbs out of the vehicle. Santana's nostrils flare as she watches Kurt get out too, his features smug as he watches her and Mike. Her blood boils as she stares him down, her eyes narrowed and fiery. It takes absolutely every ounce of willpower she has to not pull out her gun and kill him where he stands. She'd never save Brittany if she did that. A gasp escapes from Santana's mouth as Brittany is hauled out of the trunk, their eyes meeting instantly.

"Start walking, Lopez!" Shelby calls out, removing Brittany's handcuffs and shoving her forward, Kurt instantly training his gun on her back. "One wrong move and she's dead. We have orders to do whatever is necessary to bring you into custody...losses are expected," Shelby adds threateningly. Santana swallows the angry response that rises in her throat. If she just does as they say, Brittany will be safe. Brittany and Santana slowly begin to walk towards each other, Brittany all too aware of the gun being aimed at her. Dark brown eyes meet sky blue, an intense energy passing between them as they get closer.

"Be brave, baby," Santana whispers as they pass each other, "keep walking and get to Chang."

"San..."

"Don't say anything. Please. Keep moving," Santana urges, making sure to only slightly slow her pace, she can't piss them off. "I'll see you soon." Santana takes a deep breath and continues walking towards the agents, wondering if she actually will see Brittany again soon, or ever again.

0-00-0

Karofsky winces as he listens to Quinn leave a voice mail for Santana in the other room, having no choice about hearing it due to Quinn pretty much screaming down the phone. A few of the threats cause him to quirk an eyebrow and he is pretty sure that Tina is about to blow up from trying to hold back a smirk. Michael, however, doesn't hold back. The toddler giggles at the sound of one of his mothers yelling at the other. Karofsky assumes it's not a rare thing in Santana and Quinn's relationship, they're both so stubborn. When Quinn first woke up, Karofsky had been silly enough to think that she didn't seem all that angry. He had realised he was wrong once the drowsiness had worn off. There's no way to sugarcoat it; Quinn is _pissed_.

"Dave, your cell is ringing." Tina's voice brings Karofsky out of his musings and he glances over at the woman, who is holding Michael in her lap, with a nod.

"Karofsky," he states in greeting. His brow furrows as he listens to the terrified voice on the other end of the line. "Chang, slow down...you have Miss Pierce?" Tina moves across the room quickly, listening in to the phonecall. "What do you mean, a swap?! She gave herself up?" His loud exclamation draws Quinn out of the bathroom, her cell phone still in her hand.

"What the hell is going on?" Quinn demands, striding over to them and holding her hand out for Karofsky's phone. The guard hesitantly hands it over to the furious woman, his face pale.

"Ma'am, it's not good news," he murmurs.

"Chang? Tell me what is going on, right now." Quinn's tone of voice makes Tina feel nervous, Michael squirming in her arms in an attempt to reach his mother. "No, no, she did not do something as fucking stupid as that! We would have gotten Brittany back. Why the fuck would you drive her there?!" Quinn yells down the phone, her hazel eyes welling with tears that are both angry and terrified. "Stay where you are, I'm on my way." With that, she ends the call. "Tina, look after Michael," she orders while grabbing Dave's keys. He immediately follows after her as she storms from the motel room and, as tall as he is, he still has to jog to keep up with Quinn while she storms across the parking lot.

"Ma'am, maybe I should drive...you're still a little out of it and I know where to go," Karofsky reasons.

"Fine." Quinn throws the keys to him before climbing into the passenger seat. "How long?" she questions snippily.

"Around two hours, ma'am, we had to stop when you began to wake up so that we could explain things," Karofsky states as he starts the engine.

"Well, then you maybe should not have gone along with this ridiculous plan! I'm your boss too, you know," Quinn retorts angrily, her voice acidic.

"I apologise, ma'am, it seemed like the best thing to do," Karofsky murmurs.

"I could have stopped this ridiculous swap if I had been there! We would have gotten Brittany back some other way, does she think I don't care enough about Brittany to get her back? So much so that she sacrifices herself?" Karofsky doesn't respond, knowing his boss is blowing off some steam...she doesn't need, or want, to hear his opinion. "Now we are still in the same boat, we still have someone to rescue and it's even fucking worse. They'll do whatever the fuck they want to Santana to find out where I am! Brittany would have been safe! This is Rachel's fault, when this is over...you find her."

"I will, ma'am."

"And when you do, bring her to me. I will finish this. Once and for all."

_**Next chapter is what happens between Santana, Shelby and Kurt, with a little Rachel thrown in! Until next time... Please review.**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you for all of the reviews for this story so far!**_

_**R&R please.**_

_**Trigger warning:**__** Intense scenes of violence and mentions of the sexual assault from Santana's past.**_

Chapter 23

Santana groans loudly as she comes around, her whole body aches, her limbs heavy and limp. Rough rope holds her arms in place behind her back, as well as tying each leg to the two front legs of the chair she is slumped in. She doesn't remember how she got here, nor she actually know where here is. All she can remember is being thrown into the car after exchanging herself for Brittany. Santana flinches when ice cold water is splashed onto her face, spitting some out of her mouth and shaking her head in a weak attempt to get it out of her eyes.

"Wakey wakey, sleepyhead," Santana hears a familiar voice sarcastically coo. It takes her a few seconds to place the voice; Shelby Corcoran. Santana cracks her eyes open and glares weakly up at the agent. They're alone. Glancing around the room, she assumes they're in some sort of shed...or shack. "Don't worry, where we are...your people won't hear you scream," Shelby states softly and menacingly. "Of course, you won't need to scream if you just tell me what I need to know," Shelby continues, "I am very interested in having a little chat with your wife as well as you. Why don't you just tell me where I can find her," she suggests, a saccharine smile on her lips.

"Don't count on it," Santana mutters bitterly, staring at Shelby with sheer hatred and venom in her eyes.

"I figured you'd say that," Shelby shrugs, "and I'm glad you did. I would be very disappointed if you gave up information so easily. At least now I get to have a little fun with you."

"Fuck you," Santana spits out.

"Hmm, no thank you. I'll leave the fucking to your little sluts," Shelby winks, "one just wasn't enough for you, huh?"

"I know what you're trying to do, and it's not gonna work," Santana scoffs. "You're a cop, you can't do anything to me." Shelby smirks and leans against the wall, folding her arms across her chest and watching Santana carefully.

"Well, that's you're wrong," Shelby eventually states, an amused smirk on her lips. "I've been given permission to do _whatever_ it takes to bring you and your wife in, and I plan to take full advantage of my freedom. Unless, of course, you cooperate. Maybe you'd accept a deal," Shelby muses.

"A deal?" Santana scoffs. "What? Twenty three life sentences instead of twenty four?" she rolls her eyes, "I think I'll take my chances," Santana states smugly.

"Aw, sweetie, you won't be receiving a prison sentence...you'll be taking a seat on a very special chair," Shelby smiles, leaning forward to whisper in Santana's ear, "It's an electric one!" If this scares Santana, she doesn't show it, her glare not faltering for even a second. She's not scared of dying. There are very few things in this world that do scare her. Things that can't happen so long as Quinn, Brittany, and Michael are far away from her.

"You don't scare me," Santana murmurs, "I don't care what you do to me," she adds honestly.

"You may not care about what happens to you, but you do care about what happens to Brittany and Quinn," Shelby sneers, "and let's not forget little Michael." She smirks at Santana's reaction. It's subtle, just a twitch of her top lip, but it's still a reaction. "You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them, would you? I'm sure I can recommend some less than loving homes for your boy," Shelby taunts. She knows she's getting to her when she notices Santana's jaw clench, this is just too easy. "You know, you made the mistake your father did," she notes.

"And what was that?" Santana snaps, her nostrils flaring.

"Having a wife, a child...a family. Russell Fabray made the same mistake. Having people you care about is a weakness in your line of work. The Fabrays are dead. Your parents are dead, and now look at you. You'll be dead soon, too. Of course, your father kept some of his dignity when he died; you won't. Your arrest will be used to make the FBI look good, your trial will be watched all over the world like some twisted soap opera. You'll go down in history, as our greatest catch. Pathetic, really," Shelby chuckles.

"You know...you're not really putting me in the mood to talk. You're actually boring me a little," Santana smiles sweetly. "It's cute, though. Very entertaining."

"Well," Shelby sighs, feigning disappointment, "I guess I'll just have to get the information I want using a different technique. I had hoped you would maybe a little to work with, for the sake of your son and your..lady friends. I guess not," Shelby shrugs. Santana watches as the agent pushes herself away from the wall and walks across to a box that sits in one of the corners of the room. She knows what's coming next, she's interrogated enough people in her life to know what the various implements that Shelby pulls out of the box are for. She can do this, she can withstand this. Santana steels herself, ignoring the malicious smirk on Shelby's face as the woman walks towards her. She can do this.

0-00-0

Brittany paces back and forth between two of the cars, impatiently waiting for Quinn to arrive and trying not to panic, or cry. She needs to be brave. She can't let Santana down. She can feel the guards watching her, and she wonders what they are thinking. Are they upset that Santana had traded herself to save her? Would they prefer it to be her in grave danger? Would Quinn think that? Brittany couldn't make out what Quinn was thinking during the brief conversation she had with her over the phone around an hour ago. Quinn had promised to be here soon, and promised that she'd get Santana back.

"Miss Pierce?" Brittany turns to face Blaine when she hears his voice. "Mistress Quinn will be here any moment now. Try not to worry, she'll fix this," he tells her reassuringly.

"Try not to worry?" Brittany echoes, "you're kidding, right? Santana, at the very least, is going to jail? And I should try not to worry?" she scoffs.

"I'm uh...I'm just passing along the message from Mrs Fabray-Lopez," Blaine stutters.

"Anderson! Help the others secure the perimeters," Puck orders, walking over to them with a frown on his face, waiting until the other guard rushes off before giving Brittany his full attention. "He's a good guard, he just doesn't always think," Puck murmurs apologetically. "He's awkward around authority."

"I'm not in a position of authority," Brittany retorts.

"Yes, you are. You're Quinn and Santana's...you're with them," Puckerman states, unsure of what term to use to describe Brittany's position.

"I hadn't really thought about it like that," Brittany admits. She glances around the parking lot of the abandoned gas station and sighs. It hadn't been that long since they were all living in the compound and leaving for the safe house. Now, they have no specific place to go. Santana and Quinn's empire in crumbling around them, and there is nothing that anyone can do about it. "Michael's safe?" Brittany asks softly.

"Yes. He's with Tina. According to Karofksy he was crying a lot, I think he misses Santana but he's safe," Noah confirms. "You will be, too."

"Have you been given orders to keep me safe?" Brittany questions, Puck looking away, unwilling to answer. "Haven't you just finished telling me that I'm pretty much your boss? What orders have you been given?" Brittany demands firmly.

"You are to be taken somewhere safe as soon as Quinn gets here," Puck reluctantly mutters. "You'll be taken to Michael and then both of you will be hidden."

"That's not happening," Brittany states with a shake of her head. "Santana's in danger because she wanted to save me...I will be helping to get her back. I am not running. At least not until we're all back together." Puck sighs, this is why he didn't want to tell her. They both look up at the sound of an approaching vehicle, instantly recognising one of their landrovers. Quinn's back. Brittany follows Puck back across the parking lot to where the rest of the guards are gathered, all of them talking over each other as they try to decide on a plan.

"She's here!" Puck calls out, smirking when they all fall silent. He watches warily as Quinn jumps out of the landrover as soon as it stops. He has seen her angry, and he has seen her determined but he hasn't seen Quinn Fabray-Lopez look this intense before. Ever.

"Siphon whatever gas is left here, and grab whatever supplies you can find from inside. This place is too out in the open, Quinn states loudly and firmly. "We leave in five minutes." As soon as her men busy themselves with following her orders, Quinn walks straight over to Brittany and pulls her into a bone crushing hug. "I'm so glad you're safe," she whispers.

"She shouldn't have done it," Brittany replies quietly.

"Hey!" Quinn pulls back and glares at Brittany. "Santana did what she did because she loves you, we both do. She knew what she was getting herself into. Don't you dare feel guilty," Quinn says sternly. "I'll get her back," she adds with determination.

"_We_ will get he back," Brittany corrects her, readying herself for the argument that she is convinced is about to come. Quinn doesn't disappoint.

"No. No, Brittany. You are not coming," Quinn replies seriously. "There is no chance in hell that you are coming. I won't allow it."

"I don't need you to," Brittany responds simply. "I'm coming. I'm helping you guys find Santana and I'm helping you get her back. I'm your partner, or whatever...you should start treating me like one. I'm not your employee, you don't get to dictate what I can, and cannot, do." Quinn raises a brow and stares at Brittany for a second. She's impressed. Pissed...but impressed.

"Fine. You stay in the back, I know what I'm doing. This may be your first rodeo, but it's not mine."

0-00-0

Santana grits her teeth and breathe heavily through her nose, refusing to cry out, no matter how much pain she's in. She won't give Corcoran the satisfaction. Pain ripplies through her, already injured, shoulder as Shelby pushes the piece of metal further into her, no longer healing, bullet wound. It hurts more than the inital injury and she can see white spots in front of her eyes, but Santana make a sound. She can do this. Shelby strikes her across the face, Santana's head snapping to the side and she glares up at Shelby, breathing heavily. Blood trickles from the corner of her mouth and she spits on the floor, just missing Shelby's boots.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, bitch," Santana snarls. Shelby hits her again and Santana laughs dryly. "Is that it?" Shelby growls lowly and turns back to the box, pulling out a syringe and a tourniquet, her lips curling into a smug smile. Santana's expression doesn't change, her eyes only flickering towards the needle for a short second before snapping back to hold Shelby's intense gaze.

"Where is your wife?" Shelby demands. Santana tips her head back and laughs loudly, mocking the woman in front of her. "Oh, it's funny?"

"It kinda is," Santana nods. "Because I have no fucking idea where she is and, even if I did, I would not tell you. You can't break me," Santana states fiercely. "Nobody can."

"Not even the father of your child?" Shelby snaps, causing Santana to falter. "Tell me, does little Michael have his mommy's name? Or does he go by Sylvester?" She chuckles dryly at Santana's sudden silence. "You didn't realise that we knew that, did you?" Shelby questions mockingly. "What do you see when you look into that child's eyes?" Shelby smiles. She's inside her head. She steps forward and pulls a switch blade knife from her pocket, cutting the long sleeve of Santana's t'shirt and ripping the material away. Wrapping the rubber tourniquet around Santana's bicep, Shelby tightens it until the veins inside the crook of her elbow bulge.

"You can't break me," Santana repeats weakly.

"Hush now, little girl," Shelby sneers, "you need to save your voice. You're going to need it in a moment." Shelby pierces Santana's skin with the needle and pushes down on the end of the syringe, emptying all of the liquid into the vein. For a few long moments, nothing happens and Santana watches Shelby in confusion as she walks back to the wall, leaning against it again with an amused expression on her features. Then, she feels it. A searing pain travels through her entire body, every nerve ending feeling as though it is on fire. A pained cry erupts from Santana's throat, echoing around the small room. It's endless and her cries turn to piercing screams, all she can think of is the agony ripping through her body. Shelby smirks and reaches into the box, pulling out a second needle. Unwanted tears leak from Santana's dark eyes and saliva drips from the corner of her mouth, mingling with the slowly drying blood from Shelby's earlier hits. She doesn't even notice the second needle breaking her skin until the pain slowly dies away. Santana's chest heaves and she breathes heavily as she stares at the ground, her gaze blurred from her tears.

"Fuck you," Santana spits. "Fuck you, I'm not telling you anything," she grinds out.

"There's plenty more where that came from," Shelby murmurs, seemingly not caring that Santana still isn't speaking. "I could do this all day. Happily."

"You won't catch her," Santana breathlessly states. "Not because of me. My family are not my weakness, they're my strengh."

"Oh, how sweet!" Shelby exclaims sarcastically, "Santana Lopez, the mass murderer with a heart," she smiles evilly. "I'll be sure to let the newspapers know all about that. The families of the people you murdered in cold blood will be so thrilled to know that little detail."

"Will you do that before or after you lose your job?" Santana taunts her, "Even with your little toys, you can't find out what your bosses want you to."

"I guess we shall see if you can last a second round before I start worrying about my job," Shelby retorts, advancing on Santana with another needle. Santana squeezes her eyes closed, mentally preparing herself for what is about to happen, telling herself over and over again that, she handled it once, she can handle it again. She holds her breath, waiting to feel the needle, her arm throbbing due to the tourniquet. Shelby's footsteps get closer and closer until...Santana, and her chair are thrown into the wall. Debris scatters around her while the bang from the explosion rings in her ears. She coughs heavily, groaning in pain as she tries to push her weight off of her shoulders, her newly re-opened wound trickling crimson blood onto her t'shirt.

"She's there!" Santana hears a male voice call out and the rope around her wrists and ankles is cut before she is roughly hauled to her feet. "She's alive." Santana cracks her eyes open and tiredly stares at the burly man she has never seen before, attempting, and failing, to struggle out of his tight grasp. There is movement behind him and Santana follows his gaze, her blood boiling with rage as she glares as harshly as she can at the new person in the room. For one glorious second, Santana had thought she was about to be rescued, but now she knows she's in even worse hands than the FBI.

"You!" Santana spits out. "I will fucking kill you!" She struggles against the man again, groaning when he slaps her. Hard. Rachel steps forward, her eyes full of malice.

"Hello, Santana."

_**To be continued... Please review.**_


	24. Chapter 24

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations**_

_**I apologise for the long wait, I'm doing my best to update all of my stories and sometimes it takes a while to get to all of them. I hope you guys can understand.**_

_**Thank you for the great reviews for the last chapter, I appreciate them all very much!**_

_**R&R please.**_

Chapter 24

Brittany tightly grasps Quinn's hand as they both sit in the back of one of their land-rovers. They haven't uttered a word to each since getting into the car, the only sound being the engine and the occasional question and answer between Chang and Karofsky in the front of the vehicle. Brittany glances at Puck, who sits on her other side, and their eyes briefly meet. He's scared. She can see it deep in his gaze. In all of the time she had known him, Brittany had never seen this look in his eyes and, instead of scaring her, it gives her confidence. When people are scared for someone's wellbeing it means they care. When people care it gives them passion, it means they will do anything to save the person they care about. Santana showed her that. Noah is scared, he'll do everything he possibly can to get Santana back.

"How far?" she hears Karofsky ask.

"Around twenty miles."

"What's twenty miles away?" Brittany questions, feeling Quinn's gaze on her. She watches the two men in the front exchange a wary gaze, both of them obviously unsure about whether or not to tell her. "Tell me," she orders firmly, surprising everyone in the car. Despite the situation, Quinn shares an impressed glance with Puck. It seems like Brittany is taking very well to be being one of the women in charge.

"Miss Lopez is," Karofsky murmurs. "Hopefully."

"What the hell does that mean?" Quinn demands, leaning forward, her gaze hard. "You know where she is?"

"Before we left to complete the switch, she made me implant a tracking device," Mike explains lowly, not sure how his other bosses will react to this. "She made me cut open her stitches and put it in her wound."

"Her wound is open?" Quinn questions him in a low, dangerous voice.

"No...the doctor patched her back up, not as strong as it could have been because we had to be quick, but she's patched up," Mike tells her. "The signal is pretty weak, though, and if the device is damaged..." he trails off, a slight grimace on his face.

"It's because she's hurt," Brittany whispers.

"It's a possibility," Dave nods. "Everything is a possibility right now. Santana is strong." Brittany sucks her bottom lip into her mouth. She wishes she hadn't asked. She knows that, to the rest of the world, Santana is viewed as a monster. They all are, and nobody would listen to anyone that stated otherwise, but she loves her and Santana loves her back. Of course she feels guilty about the crimes that she has helped to cover up, but she'd do anything for Quinn, Santana, and Michael now. If that makes her a monster, too, then so be it. She'll be a monster, so long as she is with them, and she's okay with that.

"We'll win," Quinn states firmly. "We'll get Santana back, and we will deal with everyone who has crossed us. Especially those who we trusted." Her tone is cold, causing shivers to run down Brittany's spine. She trusts Quinn and, if Quinn tells her that she'll fix this and they'll get their revenge, she believes her. "Continue to follow the co-ordinates, and radio the other cars. We may need to fight our way to Santana, they should be informed. "I want Hummel and Berry alive," Quinn tells them menacingly. "Anyone else, shoot to kill. Brittany, stay at the back," she adds.

"No," Brittany argues, "I wi..."

"I'm not arguing with you, Brittany. You're not trained for any of this. I will not allow you to risk yourself like that. Stay at the back and beside a guard at all times. This is dangerous, Brittany." Quinn's gaze is strong as she stares into Brittany's blue eyes. "When we get out of this, I will make sure you're trained to fight. I promise you," she adds softly. "Please just listen to me on this."

"Okay," Brittany agrees, but she's not happy about it.

"Thank you." Quinn turns back to looking out of her window, her mind buzzing as she thinks about their options, thinks about all that they will have to do. It's going to be hard, but they'll manage. She knows they will. They don't have any other choice.

0-00-0

It's no secret that Santana Lopez is capable of holding a _lot_ of anger in her petite body, but she has never felt rage as strong as she feels right now. She's tied up, again, and in the back of a moving van, painfully rolling into the side whenever the van turns a corner. Her body aches and bleeds from her time with special agent Corcoran, her bullet wound staining the floor of the van with crimson blood. She's battered and bruised, Corcoran and then Berry's large friend had both done a number on her. Santana struggles to stay optimistic, her chances of getting out of here, in anything other than a body bag, are slimmer than slim. The van lurches to a sudden stop and Santana is thrown into the side, her back impacting painfully with the metal. At least if her wrists and ankles weren't tied she'd have been able to stop herself from being injured further. She knows that's exactly why they did tie her up, they want her to be as weak as possible.

"Keep it together," she tells herself. It doesn't matter if she's physically weakened, what they really want is for her to be weakened mentally; something she won't allow to happen. Santana knows her chances of getting out of here are slimmer than slim, so it doesn't matter that she's so physically weak. If she is leaving this world in the near future, she is determined to leave it with her dignity as intact as possible. She's not going to complain, or beg for her life, or give them any kind of information. She won't give them the satisfaction. That's not who she is. Santana will be her stubborn, hard headed self even when breathing her last breath. Whether that comes in the next thirty minutes or in thirty years, she'll leave this world with her dignity and self respect. Santana stiffens when she hears voices outside the van, hearing the doors being unlocked a second later. The doors swing open a moment later to reveal that it's now dark outside, and Santana squints into the darkness at the three figures standing there. She winces when the bright light of, what she assumes is, a torch, her pulse beginning to race when she recognises the three faces.

"Good evening, Santana. It's been a long time," Sebastian states, a smug smile pulling at his lips. "When was the last time I saw you? Just before your son's conception, I think." Santana's blood boils as she stares at Smythe, one of Sylvester's men...one of the men who had helped Sylvester's brother corner her. "Not so cocky anymore, huh?" Sebastian grins. "Good, you always did need to be taken down a peg or two."

"Fuck you." Santana's voice is stronger than of them, including herself, expected. Venom drips from her tone and her nostrils flare. He's only here to mess with her head, she's not going to let him.

"Feisty, just like I remember," Sebastian notes to Finn in a conversational tone. "And a little stupid considering you're here and she had her boys beat the crap of you, you must be dying for some revenge huh, Hudson? Oh, and let's not forget that she had your girlfriend in her bed for two years." Sebastian is enjoying himself, he had always been amused that Rachel had slept with Lopez and Fabray. Mostly because he knew that Hudson would be furious about having to share his women. Santana clenches her jaw as she thinks about how long Berry and Hudson had been fooling them all. She had trusted her, she had shared her bed with her, she had shared her wife with her.

"You better hope I die," Santana snarls, her dark glare focusing on Rachel, "because if I don't, I will fucking destroy you," she hisses. Rachel laughs menacingly, rolling her eyes at Santana and sharing an amused look with the two men beside her.

"Oh, you won't die," Rachel states coldly. "Not yet, anyway. We still need you. Then, when your little boy is in our hands, we will have no more use for you and he can watch as you slowly die." Santana uses all of the energy she can muster to not show her true feelings, to not show how terrified this makes her feel. "He can listen as you scream and beg for your life, and watch as the life slowly leaves your eyes. The very last thing you will see is your child heading off into his new life. His rightful life as a Sylvester," Rachel sneers. "He won't be raised by the women who no longer mean anything in our world. He will be raised by the people who still meaning something." Santana watches with bated breath as Finn clambers into the back of the van, a knife gleaming in his hand. His bruised face is contorted with anger, pure hate in his eyes. He bends down and flicks his wrist, easily cutting through the rope that binds Santana's ankles together, and roughly hauls her to her feet.

"As soon as this is over, you're mine," he hisses, pushing her against the wall of the van and glaring deep into her dark eyes. His putrid breath burns her nostrils, but she doesn't flinch. Santana Lopez is not scared of a coward like Finn Hudson. They had been right about him, he is the enemy, the beating he received was well deserved. Santana smirks up at him and spits in his face,

"We'll see about that."

0-00-0

Brittany is scared to even blink as she follows Quinn and the others through a wooded area, keeping her eyes peeled for any hidden dangers. The guard behind her is close enough for her to feel his breath on the back of her neck, and while that would usually creep her out, it makes her feel safer right now. She knows that he is close so that he can protect her at a second's notice, knows that he will become a human shield if he needs to. It's comforting. Looking up ahead at Quinn, she frowns slightly. She can almost taste the determination and anger seeping from Quinn's pores, her high levels of anxiety and stress makes the atmosphere feel electric. Almost as if you'd get a shock just by standing too close to her. Brittany feels comforted by that, too. Nobody can get things done like Quinn can when she's angry. Not even Santana. This is going to be messy, she knows it. It'll be violent and bloody and horrific, but it'll work. They'll get Santana back. They will.

"Ma'am." Brittany glances at the guard that appears next to her, her gaze questioning. "Mistress Fabray may want my head on a chopping block for doing this but," he hands her handgun, "I'd feel much better if you were armed. I imagine you will, too." Brittany nods and offers him a small, grateful smile. She watches, and listens, intently as he shows her how to work the gun, pointing out the safety and quickly showing her how to re-load.

"What is your name?" Brittany asks him softly.

"It's Hart, ma'am."

"Thank you, Hart. Don't worry about Quinn," she reassures him, glancing at the guard that is still behind her, the man nodding. He saw nothing. Got it.

"Quinn!" they hear Puck's voice ring out, the three of them rushing to catch up with the others. They stop when they reach a clearing, a smoldering wreck of a building sending clouds of dark smoke into the night air. Puck is dragging a man from the building while the other men file inside, their steps careful and their weapons raised. Brittany places the gun into the front pocket of her hooded sweatshirt and makes her way over to Quinn as she stands over the man that Puck had dragged from the building.

"You," Brittany breathes out, anger filling inside her like hot lava that threatens to erupt from her. Kurt Hummel glares up at the two blondes, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Where's Corcoran?" Brittany demands, suddenly pulling the gun out and pressing it against his forehead. Hummel laughs at her. A haunting, deathly rattle that wheezes from his mouth.

"I'm already dying, threatening to shoot me isn't gonna make me talk." Quinn stares at the weapon in Brittany's hand, urging herself to ask her about it later instead of right now.

"It's clear!" Karofsky calls out as he steps out of the building. Quinn gazes at Chang as he follows Karofsky out, silently asking him about the tracker. Her stomach sinks when he shakes his head sadly, a small piece of metal glinting in between his thumb and forefinger.

"Corcoran's gone. She's chasing after your slut, Berry took her," Kurt croaks out, a smug smile dying on his lips as his eyes flicker closed. His last contribution to the earth is a slow, shuddering breath.

_**To be continued...**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters, It all belongs to RIB and Fox. Any characters you don't recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Apologies for the long wait, I've had a lot going on. I'll do my best to update this more quickly in future.**_

_**Flashbacks are in italics. **_

_**R&R please.**_

**Chapter 25**

Santana groans as she wakes up, her entire body aching as she lays on a cold, damp floor. She forces herself to open her eyes and looks around the dimly lit room. The brick walls and concrete floor remind Santana of dungeons that she had seen in movies, but she knows this is no movie or even a dream. In movies, there always seems to be a bed. A poorly built, uncomfortable bed, but a bed all the same. Here, there isn't. The room is completely bare. Every muscle in her body screams at her as she pushes herself into a sitting position, leaning heavily against the damp, dirty wall. She doesn't remember being put in here, wherever here is, but she knows that Sue Sylvester is somewhere in this building. Santana grimaces and attempts to stand, but her legs seem to be unable to hold her weight. She can taste her own blood, and her head is throbbing. She has never felt so beaten before. There is no way for her to know how long she has been in here, she doesn't even know if it is night or day, but Santana knows it can't have been too long. Sue is too desperate to leave her here for too long.

How did things get like this? Her father would never have allowed himself to be held against his will. He would have died first. He did die first. Was she naïve to think she could carry on his legacy? Had the last ten years merely been a slow destruction of his empire? She and Quinn had always thought they were every bit as good at this as their fathers had been, maybe even better, but now? Now, she doesn't know what to think. Their world is crumbling down around them and she isn't even there to see it. She's trapped. Held against her will, and beaten within a few inches of her life. Carlos Lopez would be ashamed. These last few years she had been slowly falling apart, Santana realises that now. Unfortunately, she realised it too late. She remembers when her father first introduced her to the business. Twelve long years ago, when she was only seventeen. She had never even entertained the idea that this is where she would end up.

_Dinner is, as always, a quiet affair. Her mother had barely even glanced at her when she joined her in the dining room. Santana doesn't take it personally, though. Her mother is always tense and quiet when they haven't heard from her father in a few days. He is due back this evening, and Santana knows they will be joined by the Fabrays by tomorrow morning at the latest. Her father had left two days ago after receiving a brief phone call, and they hadn't heard from him since then, but he said he'd be home tonight and Santana believes him. He always returns when she says he will._

_"Eat your food, Santana." Santana glances up at her mother in surprise. She hadn't even realised their food had been served. _

_"Yes, mami," she murmurs. Santana isn't at all hungry, and the steak in front of her doesn't look entirely appetising, but refusing to eat will only upset her mother further. She forces herself to begin eating, each bite harder to swallow than the last. After Santana is sure that she has eaten enough o satisy her mother, she stops. Her fork and knife clink together as she lays them on the plate, breaking the silence in the large room. Santana and her mother sit in silence for several moments. Santana wishes she could just leave the dining room and find something more interesting to do, but her mother is still eating and her parents consider it to be rude to leave the table before everyone is finished. It always amused Santana that her parents were so attached to rules and discipline considering how her father earns his money. Earns..Santana scoffs inwardly, hardly. She doesn't look up as one of the servants takes her plate away._

_"Thank you, Tina," Maribel states on behalf of Santana, shooting her daughter an acidic glare._

_"Yeah, thanks," Santana mumbles, wishing her mother wouldn't call her out like in front of the help like that. _

_"You're welcome, miss Lopez," Tina quickly responds, leaving the dining room as quickly as she can. Maribel Lopez scares her, and she doesn't want to be here while there is so much tension between mother and daughter. Maribel stares coldly at her daughter, waiting until the servant is gone before she speaks, _

_"You'd do well to remember to remember your manners." Santana forces herself not to roll her eyes at her mother's scolding tone. "You must show respect to the staff." Santana can't stop herself, _

_"respect? You don't respect them!" she exclaims with a dry laugh. "You don't give a damn about them, mami. Don't insult my intelligence my saying otherwise." Santana instantly regrets her words as her mother shoots to her feet, her chair tipping backwards to the floor. Maribel stalks over to her, and Santana stands up. Her features don't show it, but her mother intimidates her, and Maribel knows it!_

_"If you expect loyalty from your staff, then they need to think you respect them," Maribel hisses. "You show them respect, whether you give a damn about them. Do you understand me?" she demands furiously. Santana drops her head, unable to meet her mother's terrifying gaze._

_"Yes, mami," she murmurs. She needs to be careful now. The servants aren't the only people her mother will dole out lashings to._

_"You'd do well to watch your tone in future, little girl," Maribel warns her, a dangerous glint in her dark eyes. "I'm sure you don't need to be reminded of what happens when you cross me," she adds before turning and stalking from the room. "You're excused," Maribel throws over her shoulder, and Santana glares at her mother's retreating form. To an outsider, it would seem that Maribel has no love for her daughter, but it is the opposite. Maribel had always been scared of bringing a child into their world, they have many enemies. She's strict, and at times harsh, with Santana because she needs to be. She needs to be sure that her child is tough enough to run their empire when they're gone. She wants Santana to lose her conscience, to be able to perform the same tasks her father does without even thinking about it. She's moulding Santana to be the leader she was born to be, the leader her father is._

_"Miss Lopez?" Santana's head shoots up, and she frowns at the servant standing in front of her._

_"What?" she snaps, her mother's advice ignored._

_"You said to inform you when your father returned," the servant replies meekly. "He's back."_

_"Very well, you can go," Santana snottily tells them. _

Her mother had been wrong. Santana knows that now. If you give your servants an inch, they'll take a mile. And, as she now knows, some will betray you. The guards are different, she's know them longer, knows they are loyal to her. She grew up with several of them. Santana sighs. Maybe it's not her mother who is wrong. Maybe it was actually her who had been wrong all of these years. The way things have spiralled out of control, it wouldn't be a surprise to Santana if she has been wrong. She stiffens when she hears a noise in the corner of the room, and she finally notices the solid metal door. She can make out the sounds of bolts sliding, and the door is swung open a second later, light from outside streaming into the dark and dingy room.

"Well, well...Santana Lopez," Sue sneers as she stands in the doorway. "I have to admit, I was starting to think we'd never get our hands on you." Santana pushes her hands against the disgusting wall and manages to drag her exhausted, beaten body upwards, surprising herself when she makes it to her feet. She will not let Sylvester see how weak she is. She just won't. "I'm impressed you're still alive," Sue remarks. "You look like hell."

"Fuck you," Santana spits. She forces herself to move away from the wall, she can stand on her own. She will face Sylvester with dignity. She has to, her pride won't allow her to cower.

"Now now, Lopez. I won't allow rudeness in my house," Sue states in a condescending tone. "I know you were raised to show respect to adults, I remember your mother's intolerance for your attitude very well." Santana clenches her jaw and stares Sue down, fire in her dark eyes. "Your parents would be ashamed if they could see you now. You had such potential," Sue murmurs wistfully.

"You have no right to talk about my parents!" Santana snarls.

"I miss doing business with them," Sue tells her, choosing to ignore Santana's previous statement. "They knew what they were doing. Unlike yourself, of course. They weren't weak. I never imagined that their child would grow up to be like this. It's sad, really."

"You shut your fucking mouth!" Santana's head whips to the side from the force of Sue's slap. "Is that the best you've got?" Santana asks her bitterly, spitting blood onto the floor, mere millimetres from Sue's feet.

"You're still that seventeen year old child that I first met." The smirk on Sylvester's face makes Santana feel sick to her stomach. Sue is holding all of the cards, and they both know it. "Luckily, Michael won't turn out anything like you," she adds coldly. Santana's nostrils flare at the mention of her son. "I'll make sure of that." Santana lunges at Sue, but is knocked down easily by Sue, as though the older women had merely been swatting a fly. Santana cries out in agony as Sylvester's foot collides with her stomach.

"I won't let you have him," Santana chokes out as she lays on the cold, hard ground; her arms wrapped around herself. Sue scoffs and shakes her head,

"You're pathetic." Santana breathes heavily and sucks on her bottom lip as she listens to Sue leave, the heavy door slamming closed behind her. Santana's eyes flicker closed at the bolts are slid back into place.

_Santana buries her face into her pillow, willing herself to stop crying. She can feel Quinn watching her from just inside her bedroom door, but she doesn't lift her head. She knows that Quinn isn't going anywhere, and she knows Quinn will offer very little sympathy. They have both been raised the same way, they both know what is expected of them. It's just that Quinn has more self control, and knows when to keep her mouth shut. Santana doesn't. Quinn stays silent for a few moments, giving Santana some time to pull herself together. They're supposed to be back downstairs in a few minutes, though. They are expected to attend all of the cocktail parties their parents host now that they are being taught the ways of the business. Quinn worries that Santana doesn't have the discipline to do this. They need to have no mercy, and she isn't sure if Santana can handle this. Sighing, she steps forward and sits on the edge of the bed._

_"Don't touch it," Santana whimpers, her voice muffled by her pillow._

_"I'm just looking," Quinn states calmly, and she lifts the back off Santana's shirt. She gazes down at the red welts on Santana's back and tsks. "You know better than to fight with her," Quinn murmurs. Santana turns her head and stares up at Quinn with red eyes. "You shouldn't push her like that."_

_"It's ridiculous, Quinn. Our parents are the most dangerous people in the country, they commit all kinds of crimes...yet she whips me for being impolite?" Santana is incredulous, and Quinn sighs heavily._

_"No, what's ridiculous is that you know all of that, yet still anger your mother," Quinn states firmly. "You'd be a spoiled brat if it weren't for your mother. Your father would allow you to give evidence to the FBI if he thought it would you happy," she scoffs. "Hell, he'd probably drive you there himself."_

_"Maybe I don't want to be in this business," Santana complains. "Maybe I have other plans."_

_"Don't be ridiculous, Santana. This is what you were raised to do. It's in your blood." Quinn looks deep into Santana's dark eyes and she can see the fear, the reluctance...and the naivety. They're both seventeen, there's a few months between them, but Santana seems much younger. Much, much younger._

_"My mother wants me to go down to the gun range," Santana mumbles. "She says I need to practice." Quinn nods, she agrees with Maribel. "She says I won't be trusted to handle even the small jobs if I can't defend myself."_

_"She's right. It would be stupid to send you out there if you can't shoot straight," Quinn nods._

_"There's a lot of things I can't do straight," Santana states, a small smirk appearing on her lips. Quinn barely hides her smile._

_"Now is not the time...later," Quinn murmurs. "Come on, you need to wash your face and suck it up. We're expected downstairs. The Sylvesters are here."_

_**So, yeah, not what most of you were expecting. I want to show you guys how Quinn and Santana became the people they are today. The next few chapters will be a mixture of flashbacks and present time action!**_

_**Thanks for reading, please review!**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters. It all belongs to Fox and RIB. Any characters you do not recognise are my own creations.**_

_**I've slowly been finishing my stories off and it's now this story's turn. I will be focusing on this until it is finished. **_

_**The last chapter was kind of a test to see how you guys would feel about seeing more of Santana and Quinn's past. The feedback was positive, so I'll probably be writing a short prequel about their pasts at some point. Not this year, though!**_

_**R&R please.**_

**Chapter 26**

Three days. That's how long they've been fighting to get Santana back. Three long days. Their group has suffered from deaths and from abandonment. Cowards that had pledged their loyalty to the Lopez-Fabrays, and been paid generously in return, had ran at the first real sign of trouble. They think they have saved themselves, but they haven't. Santana and Quinn's enemies are now their enemies, and they no longer have Quinn and Santana's protection. They will live in fear, fear that will only stop when they meet their untimely ends. Cowards always lose, and they will not be welcomed back.

The rescue party is small and running out of supplies, but they refuse to give up. They are loyal. They are strong. They will get Santana back, even if it is the last thing they do. Karofsky, Chang, Anderson, Evans, and Puckerman are the only guards left. They are the only back up Quinn and Brittany have, but they're also the most valuable. They have proven themselves during these last three days, and Quinn's confidence in them has not wavered.

Quinn looks down at Brittany as the blonde restlessly turns in her sleep, small, quiet whimpers escaping from her lips. The younger woman's brow is furrowed, and her neck is angled crookedly on the tent floor. Quinn pulls her own sweatshirt off and rolls it up, before gently lifting Brittany's head and placing it underneath her. Quinn sighs. She doesn't understand how they became like this. From huge, glorious houses in protected compounds, to sleeping in tents in the forest and using clothes as makeshift pillows. They've fallen from grace, and boy have they fallen hard.

"Ma'am?" There's movement outside their tent, and Quinn crawls forward to unzip the opening. Gracefully, she slides out of the tent and zips it closed.

"Brittany's sleeping," Quinn murmurs as she gestures for Puck to follow her to the edge of the clearing.

"Evans and Chang have been keeping look-out," Puck quietly states. "It's clear. We should move once night falls, it will be easier for us to be spotted in daylight." Quinn nods,

"alright," she says. "Sunset is in an hour or so, we should start packing up. Did Anderson secure transport for us?" Quinn questions.

"Yes, ma'am," Puck nods. "He's waiting close by, Karofsky is covering him."

"Alright, good. Just...uh," Quinn pauses, "stop with the ma'am. We're equals, Puckerman."

"Alright," Puck nods, a small smile on his lips. "Santana will kill you when we get her out of there, though. You know she gets a kick out of the formalities." Quinn allows herself to smile,

"yeah...she does." Quinn clears her throat and looks away from Noah, "I'm gonna go wake Brittany so that we can get our stuff together. Good work, Puck," she gives him a nod before she walks back to her and Brittany's tent. She unzips the tent and carefully crawls into it again, kneeling down beside a still sleeping Brittany. "Brittany," Quinn murmurs as she gently shakes Brittany's shoulder, smiling at the moan that escapes her lips.

"Already?" Brittany groans. Quinn smiles gently. She loves these moments, the moments where one of them first wakes up...before the remember about their shitty situation. She watches as Brittany gazes around at the tent they're in, realisation slowly filtering through the sleepy haze in her blue eyes. "We have to leave?"

"Yeah," Quinn nods as she reaches forward to brush Brittany's hair out of the face. "The guys secured some transport for us. We need to pack up, we leave at sundown," Quinn states. "We'll get her, okay?" The determination in Quinn's voice convinces Brittany, but Quinn hasn't convinced herself. Not at all. She's scared and worried, but not convinced. She knows what Sylvester is capable of, and she knows that her wife is in grave danger. Quinn isn't even convinced that Santana is still alive.

"Okay," Brittany whispers. She trusts Quinn...she believes her. She doesn't know that Quinn is placating her, and she also doesn't know that Quinn is giving up hope. Quinn doesn't want her to ever find that out. No matter how guilty Quinn feels about possibly giving Brittany false hope, she knows she has to do it. She needs Brittany to be at her strongest if this rescue attempt is going to work.

"Get changed," Quinn murmurs as she leans down to kiss Brittany's lips. "I'm going to help the guys pack up the other tents, we'll do this one last." With that, Quinn crawls back out of the tent. She can't stand to be in such a confined space any longer, it'll drive her insane. Taking a deep breath, Quinn looks around the clearing that they have set up camp in. Santana would hate this. As much as her wife is okay with getting her hands dirty, there's no chance in hell she would be okay with sleeping in a tent. Quinn sighs. She _needs_ this to work. She needs to get her wife back, even if she fears that she will only be collecting Santana's body.

"Is Brittany okay?" Quinn looks up when she hears Puck's voice. She nods,

"yeah, she's fine," Quinn murmurs. "Well, as fine as she can be."

"Santana will be with us soon," Puck promises and Quinn can tell, by looking in his eyes, that he truly believes his own words. "I promise you, we'll get her back."

"I know," Quinn whispers. "We'll bring her home."

0-00-0

Her body is weaker than it has ever been. She's bruised and battered, both physically and mentally. Her gunshot wound has been haphazardly sewn up again by one of Sylvester's men. They want her weak, but they don't want her dead. Not yet. They still need her, and she will be kept alive until they no longer do. The food in her belly is the furthest from gourmet as possible, and the water is warm, but the main thing is she has been fed and hydrated. Not enough to give her the strength that she desires, but enough to keep her from passing out.

Rage still flows through her body like a burning fire, but she's too weak to do anything with it. It just consumes her and sits there, no outlet to be seen. All she can think about is killing Rachel and everyone else that she can get her hands before she runs back to her family, but she can't. She'll just sit here, in this damp, disgusting room with no light. She'll sit here until they drag her to another room and attempt to beat information from her body, and then she'll be thrown back in here. It'll keep happening like a vicious, bloody circle until they are done with her.

She knows she has very little time left, and she's okay with that. She's accepted it. Her family are safe, and that's more than enough for her.

Santana jerks in surprise when the door is thrown open, squinting against the artificial light that streams into the disgusting room. She stares through narrowed slits at the silhouette in the doorway, and she immediately recognizes the person. She knows that height and shape off by heart, she had shared her bed with the person standing in the doorway. Santana's features contort with disgust.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Rachel mockingly states as she steps into the room. Santana doesn't miss the fact that Rachel leaves a lot of space between them. For all of her gusto, Rachel still seems to be wary of Santana. This gives Santana a little confidence. "Miss me?"

"I miss Brittany more," Santana snarls. She watches as Rachel blanches and she knows she's hit the nerve she was aiming for. Rachel may have been doing a job, she may not really care for them, but she's still jealous of the new girl. She still hates how Brittany joined them a year ago and completely stole Santana and Quinn's affection. Of course, they loved Rachel. A part of them still does, despite the betrayal, but there's something about Brittany. Brittany is special, and their main love...Rachel knows that.

"Your whore won't survive much longer," Rachel spits out as she takes a sudden step forward. Santana glares at her, gritting her teeth as she uses the wall to help her stand. Her body screams out in pain at the movement, and she's unsteady on her feet, but Santana is not about to back down. Not to Rachel.

"I think the only whore," Santana begins evenly, "is you." Rachel looks outraged and she splutters and stutters, her face turning red. "After all, it is you that was paid to share our bed," Santana continues. "Although, I'm sure you were not worth the amount that you'll get for it," she sneers. Rachel takes another step forward and her hand lashes out, causing Santana's head to whip to the side. The force of the blow rocks Santana and she places her hand on the wall to stop herself from falling. She doesn't retaliate, though. She knows one of Sylvester's goons will be standing right outside the door, and Santana doesn't need them to come in here. She can't afford to be weakened anymore than she already has.

"You shut your mouth," Rachel snaps. "I will kill you where you stand!"

"No you won't," Santana mumbles, breathing heavily as she stares at the shorter woman. "Your boss obviously needs me, otherwise I would already be dead," Santana chuckles dryly. "I'm sure you're here just to gloat, but I don't care. If I don't kill you, Quinn will. You may get your wish, and you may get to watch me die, but you will never get your hands on my child," Santana states coldly, "you won't even make it out of this with air in your lungs. That's okay with me. I'm not scared of dying. I'll go to my grave knowing that Quinn will one day squeeze the life out of you, and that's more than enough for me." Santana notices the badly concealed fear in Rachel's eyes, and she smiles smugly. She's getting to her, and that pleases Santana. She may be weak, but Rachel is weaker, and they both know that.

"You can never just admit when you're losing, can you?" Rachel shakes her head, a smirk pulling at her lips. "You're all talk, Santana. Sadly for you, your mouth isn't going to be enough."

"I could say the same about you," Santana remarks, smirking at the woman that she hates more than anyone in the world.

"Yes, yes, I know..." Rachel waves her off, "have you fun with your dirty jokes," Rachel sighs. "I promise you, though, when all is sad and done...you won't be the one laughing. I will."

"Is there a reason you're in here?" Santana questions in a bored voice, "your voice is really starting to grate on me, and I would much rather go back to staring at filthy walls than continue talking to you."

"Oh, I have a good reason," Rachel smiles. Santana feels uneasy and her stomach lurches, but she doesn't let it show on her features. She refuses to give Rachel the satisfaction. "We know where your son is. You were warned, Santana. Michael is a Sylvester and he will be with his real family, and he will watch you die. As will I, and it will give me the greatest satisfaction."

"I will fucking kill you!" Santana uses the little strengh she has left to push herself away from the wall, throwing herself at Rachel. She has time to land one vicious punch on Rachel's nose, before she is dragged kicking and screaming away from the woman by Sylvester's men. Something solid connects with the back of her head and the last thing she sees before blacking out, is Rachel's blood satisyingly trickling down her face.

0-00-0

Quinn rolls her eyes as they hit another bump in the road. The van her guards had attained is old and rusty, and the engine is making a consistent rattling noise. It's a good choice, though. Nobody would see this van and assume Quinn Fabray would be inside it. Anderson is driving, the least likely of the guards to be recognised, and the rest of then are piled into the back. Quinn is sitting on a tool box that doesn't belong to any of them, and she knows without asking that the owner is no longer arrive to get their tools or van back.

"Calm down, Anderson!" Puck yells, hammering his fist against the wall of the van. "It's not a fucking Ferrari!"

"It's fine, Puck," Quinn quietly tells him. "I'm not here for a smooth ride, I just want us to get there."

"We need to get there in one piece," Puck murmurs back. "Sylvester has ten times the amount of people we do. If we're heading to the right place, we need our strength. She's not gonna give up Santana without a fight." Quinn nods. He's right, she knows that. "We don't even know if she's here, Sylvester has several properties and Evans may have been tricked. This could be a wild goose chase for all we know," Puck states seriously.

"We have to chase every lead," Quinn fires back. "If there's even the slightest chance that Santana is there, then we need to check it out."

"Ma'am?" Quinn sighs when Mike interrupts them, and her hazel eyes hold disapproval as they lock onto his brown ones. "I can't get in touch with Tina," he tells her, despair written all over his handsome features. "She's supposed to check in with me or Karofsky on the hour, every hour," he explains. "It's been three hours, so I tried to call her, but it's going straight to voice mail." Quinn glances at Brittany and grabs onto the younger woman's hand when she sees the panic in her blue eyes.

"Call again," Quinn orders shortly. She stares at Mike as he dials again, her eyes never leaving him as she wills Tina to answer.

"No, ma'am," Mike sadly says, shaking his head as he lowers the phone from his ear.

"She's been compromised," Karofsky states simply. "We have to go there. Michael first, then Santana. That's her own rule," he adds. Quinn nods. Their son has to come first. He's with Tina, and Tina seems to be missing. Puck thumps his hand against the wall of the van again, once then twice. The signal for Anderson to stop. Puck jumps out of the back of the van as soon as it stops,

"ma'am?" he questions uncertainly as he gazes back at Quinn.

"We're going there," Quinn confirms. She impatiently waits as Puck passes on the message and change of location to Anderson, her hand still tightly grasping Brittany's clammier one. Puck hops back into the van and thumps the wall once, the van immediately jolting forward again.

"It'll work out, ma'am," Evans states confidently. He is perhaps the only member of the remaining group that actually has any confidence left.

"Sylvester...she's there," Brittany murmurs.

"What?" Quinn whips her head around to face her young girlfriend.

"If she wants Michael, she'll go for him herself, right? She won't send someone, she'll go...?"

"She's right," Puck nods. "And if Sylvester is there..." Quinn's eyes fill with realization,

"then Santana is there, too."

_**To be continued... Please review. Next chapter will be posted this week.**_


	27. Chapter 27

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters. It all belongs to Fox and RIB. Any characters you do not recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thanks to the people who left feedback, I really appreciate it.**_

_**Obviously, interest in this fic is low so I'll be finishing it as quickly as possible so as to allow myself time to work on another story.**_

_**R&R please.**_

**Chapter 27**

Santana stifles a pained groan as she is bundled into the back seat of a black SUV. She grimaces when two large men sit on either side of her, her body squashed in between theirs. Her wrists are bound together in front of her, the scratchy rope rubbing painfully against sensitive skin. Her eyes feel swollen and sore, and sensitive to the sunlight after three days in a dark room. It's the first time that Santana has been able to notice the bruises that colour her body, and it fills her with a fiery rage. A rage that only intensifies when Rachel climbs into the driver's seat. She's clearly Sylvester's favourite pet.

"You have the co-ordinates?" Sue questions as she slides into the front passenger seat.

"Yes, ma'am. Smythe and Hudson sent them this morning," Rachel confirms. "They're with your nephew now," she adds, smirking at Santana through the rear view mirror. "I also sent two cars an hour ago, just to ensure there will be no surprises when we get there."

"Good work, Berry," Sue nods. "A team of guards will trail us there," she adds. "Lopez's men have been whittled down to a mere few, they will be no match for us even if they do turn up." Santana's breath catches in her throat when she hears this. In just three days, the majority of her guards have been killed by Sylvester's men. At least Quinn and Brittany are okay. Santana just _knows_ that they are. Rachel, or maybe even Sylvester herself, would have wasted no time and bragged about their deaths if they had killed them.

"It's a good thing Anderson accepted our deal," Rachel states and she doesn't miss Santana's sharp intake of breath. She glances behind her, "you've been making some bad choices recently huh, Santana? You just never know who to trust," Rachel says with a tsk.

"As entertaining as it is to discuss Ms Lopez's failed attempt to continue her father's successful business," Sue begins with a sigh, "why don't you focus on actually starting the car, miss Berry." Rachel looks suitably chastised, but she still feels rather amused. She had been hoping to be the one to tell Santana that they had turned one of her men. She starts the car and glances at Santana in the rear view mirror again, thrilled to see the stormy expression on Santana's face.

Santana glares at the back of Rachel's head as they drive. She wants nothing more than to lean forward and to wrap her hands around the smaller woman's neck. She can't do that, though. Hell, she couldn't do that even if her hands were not bound and there wasn't bulky men on either side of her. Santana needs Rachel to live, for now, so that she can have her questions answered before getting her revenge. Besides, she needs her family first. Knowing that they are alive will give her an advantage... a reason to be as strong as possible. She has been told that love is a weakness, that it will destroy her, but it's Santana's strength. She does not care for her own life, she only cares for the lives of those close to her. Those people are play and, in Santana's mind, that means she is winning.

"Ma'am, this is Hudson. Over."

"It's a cell phone, Hudson. Not a radio, you simpering imbecile." Santana rolls her eyes as she listens to Sylvester communicate with Finn. Sylvester not caring about the cell phone being on loud speaker does not bode well for her. Santana knows that. It means they are definitely planning to kill her soon. Otherwise, they would not risk her hearing any information.

"Oh, right. Sorry, ma'am. I just got confused and..."

"Get to the point, Hudson!" Sue snaps, cutting him off before he starts to really ramble.

"Smythe thinks the Feds are here," Finn quickly states, not wishing to piss his boss off any more than he already has.

"What?!" There's a scuffling noise on the other end of the line, and the whole car can clearly hear Sebastian cursing Finn out for his incompetence.

"This is Smythe," Sebastian's voice filters through the speaker as he takes over from Finn. "I'm pretty sure we've got a tail," he states, "and a nearby motel was closed, but there was a definite twitch of a curtain when I checked the place out." Santana's heart thumps wildly against her rib cage as she listens to Sue's men. The FBI being nearby is a huge spanner in the works. The risk has been multiplied. If Santana wants to try and change her situation, she may have to make a huge decision.

"Are you at the destination?" Sylvester's demands, dragging Santana out of her thoughts.

"Almost, ma'am," Smythe's voice confirms, "we're around two miles away. We didn't want to go any further without back up." Sylvester glances at Rachel and gives her a short nod.

"There should be a couple of cars reaching you soon," Rachel says clearly. "Just hold tight. Play nicely and we'll let you play with our little friend," Rachel smirks, shooting Santana another smug glance.

"Fuck you," Santana spits, one of Sylvester's guards immediately slapping the back of his hand across her mouth. She can taste blood, but that's nothing new. She's been tasting her blood for three days.

"The mouth on that one, huh?" Santana scowls when she hears Sebastian's gloating tone. "Although I suppose that mouth came in handy when you guys were in bed huh, Rachel?" Now it's Rachel's turn to fume, but Sylvester leans forward and ends the phone call before the situation can escalate any further.

"Any more from you, Lopez, and you will be gagged and put in the trunk," Sylvester states in a calm tone of voice, as though she's having a casual conversation. "And you," the older woman glances at Rachel, "remember your place. You work for me, you do and say as I tell you to."

"Yes, ma'am."

0-00-0

Brittany keeps her eyes closed as she begins to wake up, the groaning of the van's old engine actually beginning to feel soothing as she lays with her head in Quinn's lap. She has her back to the men in the van in a futile attempt to have some privacy as she rests, but she can still sense their presence. Brittany can tell that Quinn is also asleep, her thigh muscles feel relaxed underneath Brittany's head, and she's glad that her girlfriend is getting some sleep. Quinn can pretend all she wants that she had been sleeping properly recently, but Brittany knows better.

"I told Anderson to take us to Tina," Brittany hears Puck quietly say to Karofsky. "He's taking us there."

"I fucking knew it," Karofsky hisses and Brittany perks up a little bit, listening carefully to the guards. Brittany frowns as she opens her eyes and stares at the metal of the van wall. She's glad that she has her back to the guards, it means they aren't aware that she's awake, and Brittany wants to know what's going on.

"Isn't it a good thing that he's taking us there?" Brittany can hear the uncertainty in Sam's voice. "That's where we want to go, right?" Brittany agrees with this. As far as she knows, that's exactly where they want to go. They want to find Michael and Santana, and also try to keep Tina out of harms way, too.

"Yeah," she hears Puck murmur, "that's exactly where we want to go. The only problem is, he already knew where to go," Puck adds.

"Why is that a problem?" Brittany feels as clueless as Sam sounds.

"Because he shouldn't know. Karofsky and I are the only people who know the co-ordinates," Puck fills Sam in, and unknowingly fills Brittany in, too. "He shouldn't know. He's talking to people other than us, which means he's working against us. Someone already got to Tina, it seems, and Anderson found out through them. Someone who is working against us is keeping Anderson in the loop."

"Get him to stop," Mike firmly states, and Brittany just knows that he has pulled his gun out of his belt. Brittany begins to shift and goes to turn around, but she's stopped by Quinn subtly applying light pressure to the back of her neck. Brittany gets the message...stay put. Quinn must want to hear more of this first.

"It's Quinn's decision," they hear Puck murmur. "She's still our boss, we can't just decide to kill..." Puck falters. "No...we do have to kill him. Our job is to protect them, and every moment that Anderson is alive, the more danger they are in." Quinn listens carefully as the men all murmur their agreement. The loyalty makes her heart swell. They had always been loyal, but now that there are no guarantees of generous payments, the loyalty means more. These men are standing by her, and that's all she needs to hear.

"I'll do it," Quinn states as she turns to face them, nudging Brittany to get her to move off of her lap as she does so. The men sheepishly stare at her, unsure of how much their boss had actually heard, and wondering if they had pissed her off.

"Ma'am," Sam begins, but he stops when Quinn holds up her hand.

"I'll do it," she repeats. Quinn hammers on the wall of the van with her fist and grabs her gun, "your loyalty will be remembered, and you will be rewarded," Quinn states, looking around at each of her remaining guards. The van rolls to a stop and Quinn opens the back doors, shooting Brittany a reassuring smile and wink as she hops out. Puck, without even thinking, hops out behind his boss.

Puck steps forward first, using his body to shield Quinn from the road. He'd never forgive himself if she was recognised by anyone now. He gestures for Anderson to get out of the van, his expression unreadable so as to not make the other man suspicious.

"What's going on?" Blaine questions as be steps out of the front of the van. His face falls when Quinn immediately points her gun at him. "Whoa...what's going on?" he chuckles nervously. He raises his hands, beads of sweat collecting on the back of his neck. He knows his game is up. Puck steps forward and pushes Blaine up against the van and patting him down, removing every weapon that he finds.

"It's so strange," Puck begins as he pushes the man into the wooded area at the side of the road, "I could have sworn you didn't know where Tina and Michael were." He glances behind him to ensure that Quinn has followed them. "How would you know information that we didn't tell you? I mean, unless you're psychic..." Puck lets the rest of the sentence hang in the air, and he glares at Blaine.

"Oh, you know, I was just thinking about that." Blaine puts on an amused front, but Quinn and Puck can easily see the fear in his eyes. "I mean, duh! Right? I didn't even think it through," Blaine laughs weakly. "I should have just admitted that I didn't know where I was going, huh?"

"You're just embarrassing yourself," Quinn coldly states. "Who gave you the co-ordinates? Who are you working for?" she demands in an acidic tone. Blaine sighs heavily.

"I..." he falters and tears fill his eyes. "Sylvester got in touch with me, she offered me a lot of money. I needed the job that she offered...I wanted the money." Blaine knows his own greed has screwed him.

"All these years that we thought you were so loyal," Puck sneers. "All it took was a few bucks from Sylvester and you're willing to throw us under a bus.

"It doesn't matter if you kill me," Blaine states, giving up his little innocent charade. "They already know where the kid is, and so do the feds." Quinn studies him,

"you weren't just recruited by Sylvester," she fumes. It's not a question. "It was you that told them, wasn't it?" Blaine chuckles dryly and sarcastically applauds the woman.

"Berry needed someone else on the inside," he sneers. "She already knew the co-ordinates of every place you guys looked into...every temporary safe house. Every other place has been checked, we know where Tina is. Don't worry, they're interested in hurting her. They're gonna leave Tina for Corcoran, an agent that will do _anything_ to get information. Michael will safely will his aunt, and your loyal employee will most likely give you up at the first sign of torture." He's smug, and Quinn's blood boils. "I slipped up and gave myself away, but it no longer matters. Sylvester will suceed and you will die, we no longer care if it's at the hands of the american justice system. Sylvester has your beloved wife, and your son will watch as his mother dies."

He crumples to the dirty ground, his sentence barely finished as blood seeps from his gut. Quinn's smoking gun has done it's job. It has taken care of the last remaining mole in their team.

"Drive, Puckerman. I don't care who I have to face. My wife, son, and Tina will be back with us by the end of the day," Quinn states in an eerily calm voice. They move back to the van, not caring enough about Blaine to dispose of his body. He can rot by the side of the road for many years to come as far as they are concerned.

Brittany moves to sit next to Quinn as soon as the blonde climbs back into the van and closes the door. Nobody speaks. They had heard everything, and there's nothing to be said. Brittany can see the renewed determination in Quinn's eyes and it builds her confidence considerably.

It's time. They will fight. They will battle Sylvester and the FBI. They will do whatever it takes to ensure they leave this battle with the three people they're entering it for.

The van moves along the empty road, their destination awaiting them. Three groups of people...only one possible outcome.

_**To be continued...Almost finished. PLEASE leave some feedback - this story is hard to write. Thank you.**_


	28. Chapter 28

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters. It all belongs to Fox and RIB. Any characters you do not recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you so, so much for the feedback on the last chapter! I honestly thought a ton of people had stopped reading and had a little moment, so thanks for sticking around!**_

_**R&R please.**_

**Chapter 28**

If there is one thing Shelby Corcoran doesn't like, it's losing. She _had_ her. She had Santana Lopez in her grasp. She was close to breaking her. She was winning. She could _smell_ the promotion she had been working towards, she was finally getting her due. But no, Rachel Berry had betrayed them even further. Rachel Berry had whipped Santana out from under her nose. Now their chances of bringing Lopez and Fabray to justice are slimmer than slim. Shelby had spent many years gaining Sylvester's trust and she had been close. She had been _so_ close. She almost had them all. Sylvester, too. To say that Shelby is furious, would be an understatement.

"Corcoran!" Shelby is snapped out of her thoughts and she gazes at Sugar Motta with badly concealed irritation in her eyes. "Are you even listening, Corcoran?"

"Yes, ma'am, I'm listening," Shelby lies smoothly, ignoring the flash of rage that shoots through her as she stares at the younger woman. How is _she_ her boss? Shelby hates her superior. Completely hates her. Motta has _her_ job. This assignment was supposed to guarantee Shelby the job, but her bosses had grown impatient. Corcoran had taken too long. She had missed out on too many chances to bring down Sylvester and the Lopez-Fabrays.

"As I was saying," Sugar says as she throws Shelby an irritated glance, "agent Beiste will take the lead in the field. Corcoran, you will follow her orders. I understand that you have been on this case for several years, but that's exactly why I can't have you take lead. Your emotions, specifically your anger, have been stopping you from thinking clearly."

"Yes, ma'am," Shelby grinds out. She's furious. She had known this would happen. She's busted her ass for years, and now she's being edged out. Beiste will take most of the credit if this mission is successful.

Shelby grits her teeth and wills herself to calm down. She looks around at their group, her distaste growing when her gaze lands on Schuester and Figgins. Why on earth would Motta allow two small town detectives to tag along on such an important job? Shelby just can't understand it, and it feels like she is the only one taking this seriously.

She doesn't care if Motta doesn't want her to take lead or not. She _will_ bring Fabray and Lopez in, and she _will_ receive the credit and promotion she deserves, and she _will_ use her newfound power to bring Sylvester down. But first, Lopez.

Shelby gazes around at the cheap motel room they're set up in. It disgusts her. Sure, they're trying to be incognito, but surely they could have found somewhere that was at least a little cleaner. Besides, she's pretty sure that Sylvester's guards will work out that they're here pretty quickly. If they haven't already, that is. She's definitely certain that Sylvester will know that she is an agent by now, and that means Sylvester herself will turn up soon. When it comes to dealing with 'rats', Sylvester likes to kill them herself.

"Hi," Shelby looks up at the man that has appeared beside her and she violently rolls her eyes. "I'm Will Schuester," he states, a confident smirk on his features. Really? Now is the time to hit on her? Really?

"Corcoran," Shelby stiffly states, shaking his outstretched hand.

"Yeah, I know. I've heard a lot about you," Will smiles. "I have to say, I'm really impressed," he says as he sits down next to her, his eyes never leaving Shelby's.

"Well, as you can imagine, that's flattering," Shelby sighs, sarcasm dripping from her tone as she rolls her eyes again. He seems unfazed by her comment, and Shelby is pretty sure that the sarcasm went right over his head.

"Corcoran, let's go!" Shelby looks across at Beiste as the other woman stands beside the door, their several man team lingering beside her. All suited and booted, and heavily armed. It's going to be messy. Shelby nods and rises to her feet, not even giving Will another glance as he and Figgins follow after her.

"Some of Sylvester's men are in the area, they look to be heavily armed," Beiste states. "It looks like they're waiting for her to arrive. If Sylvester is here, then Lopez will be, too. I will personally be in charge of getting that kid out of here. We have explicit orders to keep him safe and have him taken to a witness protection family." Beiste steps outside, "I'm going to look for the child, Schuester will be coming with me." Shelby is relieved to hear this, there's no way she can do her job properly if he is attempting to slobber all over her.

"What do you want me to do?" Shelby questions, and she's surprised to see badly concealed hostility in Beiste's eyes, but she shrugs it off. She's here to do her job, not to make friends.

"Get into place with the rest of the team," Beiste says shortly. "Don't fuck it up." Shelby sets her jaw as she stares at Beiste, glaring at her retreating back. She hasn't been spoken to like that since her early years as an agent.

Her determination strenghtens. Losing Lopez after having her in custody has clearly damaged her reputation. It's time to fix that.

0-00-0

"Do it." Puck whips his head around when he hears Quinn's murmur and his eyes widen. Quinn levels her gaze at him, "do it," she repeats. Puck nods, his shock making him unable to answer verbally. He swipes at a low hanging branch as he continues to trudge through the woods. Walking hadn't been a part of the plan, but after catching Blaine out, they couldn't risk staying in the van. There's no guarantee that Blaine hadn't given out a description of the vehicle before his death. He catches Quinn's eyes again, the look he gives her clearly saying, 'are you sure?' Her nod is strong, and her eyes scream determination.

"Okay," he mutters, glancing around to make sure none of the others are paying attention to their interaction. He didn't think he'd ever hear Quinn give this order, and it makes him nervous. It was a plan that they had put into place a few days after Quinn and Santana took charge, and it had been a secret between them. Even Santana is unaware of it. Quinn telling him to put the plan into action means she's scared. It means they're running out of options, and it means this is the last hurdle.

"I wish Evans would hurry the hell up," Karofsky grumbles as he falls into step with Puck. "How hard is it to run ahead and find another vehicle?"

"We're pretty much in the middle of nowhere right now," Puck retorts. "He only left the van twenty minutes before we did, cut him some slack." Karofsky sighs heavily and shakes his head,

"you're right," he murmurs. "Sorry, I just feel like I'm kinda losing my mind. We were already going to be outnumbered big time, if he doesn't get back to us..." he trails off. He doesn't even want to think about that. He has to believe that Sam will return, and he has to believe that their small group can be successful.

"It'll be fine," Puck tells him, and Karofsky narrows his eyes.

"You know something." It's not a question.

"I'm following orders from Quinn, that's all you need to know," Puck states simply. Karofsky nods and doesn't ask anymore about it. As desperate as he is to know about whatever it is, he understands his place. Quinn is still his boss, and her orders are still law. Puck glances behind him and notices that Quinn has slowed her pace to join Brittany. He knows straight away that Quinn is telling Brittany about their secret. It's what he would do.

Quinn takes Brittany's hand into hers and squeezes it reassuringly, battling with her thoughts.

"Quinn, you're kinda scaring me," Brittany murmurs, glancing at the other blonde.

"I'm sorry," Quinn whispers, "I don't mean to scare you, I just have to tell you something and I need you to not judge me, and I need you to keep it to yourself."

"Anything," is Brittany's automatic response. Quinn stops in her tracks, and their conjoined hands cause Brittany to jerk to a stop, too. Quinn studies the younger woman carefully, and can only see sincerity in Brittany's blue eyes.

"Alright," Quinn sighs, "there's something I've been keeping from you and Santana."

_Quinn stalks through the halls of the main house in the compound. Her eyes are red, and dried tears tracks are visible on her cheeks. She hasn't slept since they received the news, and she's slowly falling apart. In the last two days she has heard two pieces of huge news. News that has changed her and Santana's lives forever. _

_She hasn't told Santana about the second piece of news yet, for fear that the young woman would completely self destruct. Learning about the death of their parents had been hard enough, this would destroy Santana. Quinn knows that she has only been informed of this recent event because she has been deemed the strongest. Mentally, at least. Quinn knows, that in time, Santana will become stronger. They both will. But, for now, Quinn can deal with this by herself._

_She reaches the room she was called to, and immediately steps inside. Puckerman is waiting for her, and he looks awful. The teenaged man has dark circles under his eyes, and his features look pale. It's clear that he isn't doing much better than Quinn is. It's also clear that he has been told about the news, too, but Quinn gets the feeling that he's hiding something...that there's more to it than she realizes._

_"It's true, isn't it?" Quinn murmurs. "My aunt really joined the FBI?"_

_"Yes," Puck nods. "Her husband has been encouraging her to do so since her estrangement from your father. She completed her training a couple of weeks ago." Quinn sighs heavily and runs her hand through her already dishevelled hair._

_"There's more to it, isn't it?"_

_"She didn't want to join," Puck murmurs. "It wasn't her husband that finally convinced her...it was your father." Quinn's eyes widen in shock,_

_"he wanted another insider," she whispers._

_"Yeah," Puck sighs. "He knew his time was running out, he knew their enemies were catching up to him. He wanted a sleeper." Quinn sinks down onto an armchair as she soaks this information in. "He wanted you to have an emergency plan. She will keep an eye on things that are happening...agents that are looking into you and Santana," Puck explains. "But, Quinn, there's more." Quinn looks up and frowns at the concerned look on his features,_

_"What? What is it, Puck?" Quinn demands, her hazel eyes boring into him._

_"Santana's father is still alive."_

"What?!" Brittany hisses. "Are you kidding me?"

"Keep your voice down," Quinn warns her, glancing around her to make sure none of her men are listening. "Her father had to go into hiding, he had to give us an opportunity to take over. His enemies would not have stopped. My father knew he had very little time, and he knew that his sister and Santana's father would be the best to have around in a time like this. He gave Puck strict orders to only use them when we have no other way to turn, now is that time," Quinn explains in a hushed voice. "I kept this secret to protect the compound, and to protect Santana."

"I can't believe this, Quinn." One look into Brittany's eyes, and Quinn can see the disgust that Brittany doesn't even try to hide.

"Look, you don't understand, Brittany. This was the only option. If anyone found out, or overheard something like this, Santana's father would be hunted down and my aunt would be spending the rest of her life running from the FBI. She had to kill her husband just to keep us safe, I couldn't risk anything happening to her."

"But..."

"No!" Quinn holds her hand up to silence Brittany. "You don't know what it's like. You've been protected and sheltered from our business. It's a dangerous world, Brittany. I did what I had to."

"What now?" Brittany grinds out. "You're just gonna bring them here?"

"No," Quinn shakes her head. "I've called his private line, he's meeting us there...and he has men. Fifty percent of the money we have made over the last ten years have come from him, it's just nobody knows that he's a Lopez. He's been under protection and has been doing business with only his most trusted allies," Quinn tells her. "Did you really think I would be leading us into this fight with only a handful of people on our side?" Brittany falters. It makes sense. There's no way Quinn, with all of her money and experience would leave them so unprotected.

"I just..." Brittany shakes her head, she has no idea how to actually voice her thoughts.

"I know," Quinn murmurs, "it's a lot to take in." She looks up as Puck joins them, the man avoiding looking at Brittany. The betrayal in her eyes is too much to take right now. This business is extreme, and sometimes you have to be extreme to keep up with it. "Do it."

Puck pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and dials a number that he memorised a long time ago. The call is answered almost immediately, their sleeper has been waiting for the call.

_"Beiste."_ Puck shoots Quinn a nod when he hears the voice,

"time to wake up."

_**To be continued... **_


	29. Chapter 29

_**I do not own Glee or any of the original characters. It all belongs to Fox and RIB. Any characters you do not recognise are my own creations.**_

_**Thank you to those who left reviews for the last chapter. I appreciate it a lot.**_

_**Any questions - NayaFanUUB on Tumblr & Twitter.**_

_**R&R please.**_

**Chapter 29**

Santana lets out a guttural cry of pain as she is thrown onto a dirty bathroom floor. The shittiest part of the shitty motel room she had been forced into. She rolls over, forcing herself to remove her weight from her gunshot wound. She's bleeding again, and she feels weak. Her body feels as though it's no longer attached to her head. Sylvester's men hasn't cared about hurting her further whilst moving her from the car to here, in fact it had probably been their aim. Every ounce of her flesh feels like a steak that has been tenderized, and it had taken all of her energy just to turn over.

"Quit your whining," one of the guards snaps, kicking her in the stomach and eliciting a grunt from Santana. "Unless you'd like to be gagged," he smirks. Santana shoots him the most venom filled glare that she can muster,

"fuck you," she spits. Sylvester's guard moves quickly, and within a split second Santana is being held up against the wall, his rough hand wrapped around her slim neck. He is mere inches from her face, and his putrid breath makes Santana feel sick to her stomach.

"Is that an offer, bitch?" He stares at her, and Santana holds his gaze, there is no chance in hell she will give him satisfaction by showing any fear. His glare intensifies for a moment before he scoffs, "I know where you've been." He lets go of her neck and Santana crumples to the floor, pain radiating throughout her entire body. "What a waste," she hears him grumble to the other guard as the two men leave her alone in the disgusting bathroom.

The light is shut off and the door is slammed shut. Once again, Santana is left alone in the dark, bruised and beaten. She can hear Sylvester's men talking outside the bathroom, but she can't make out what they are saying. Santana doesn't think she wants to know, anyway. These past few days have been the longest of her entire life. She has to think hard just to even remember a time she wasn't in an extreme amount of pain. Between being chased out of her home by the authorities, shot, hunted, captured, and beaten...it's been a rough couple of weeks.

Santana can't even take comfort in her son being far away and safe, because he no longer is, and she has no idea where Quinn or Brittany is. She hopes they're safe, and she hopes they are very far away from her. Knowing Quinn, though, her wife had probably began looking for her as soon as she found out that Santana had exchanged herself for Brittany. Santana knows this, because it's exactly what she would do if it were the other way around. She wouldn't rest until she found her family. It's why she has stopped struggling and fighting, she needs to reserve whatever energy she has left.

She's dragged out of her thoughts by a loud crashing noise from somewhere close by, and she straightens up ever so slightly. Loud, muffled voices reach her eyes and Santana frowns when she realizes how panicked the voices sound. The loud gunshot makes her jump and Santana clumsily scrambles to her feet, her instincts taking over and allowing adrenaline to dull her pain. Santana's heart thumps against her rib cage as she stares at the door, her fists clenched at her sides. She can clearly make out the sounds of a scuffle in the other room, and Santana wants to be ready for whatever may happen next. This may be her only chance. Take every chance...that's what her parents had taught her. Every tiny little chance to get what you want...take it. Every time.

_"Again." The short, simple order from Maribel causes Santana's shoulders to slump. She's exhausted, and her breath is coming out in short, sharp bursts that hurts her chest. Sweat drips from her body and her clothes cling to her damp body. The air is cooler now that when they started, and the night air hitting her clammy skin makes her arms erupt in goosebumps._

_"I can't."_

_"You can," Maribel insists. Her voice contains the frustration and impatience that her child always brought out in her. The girl was always so difficult to train, and recently it has been even harder to hold Santana's attention. Maribel isn't a fool, she knows exactly why. She had watched her daughter and Quinn grow even closer than usual and while she is fine with her daughter dating someone who is a calming influence, it irritates her that Quinn has taken up so much of Santana's thoughts._

_"I can't!" Santana repeats, this time raising her voice. "We've been out here for hours, mami!"_

_"Watch your tone, Santana," Maribel warns. "I am trying to help you. You need to be at your best, and you can alway reach that level if you listen to me. Concentrate, Santana. Watch the targets, and pull the trigger. It's not hard."_

_"It __**is**__ hard," Santana states with gritted teeth. "The targets keep moving!" Maribel tuts and shakes her head,_

_"my girl, do you think people stand still in a gunfight? Do you think our rivals will hold their hands up to you and allow you to kill them before they kill you?" she questions incredulously. "No, Santana, they will not. Your father and I will not be around forever. You __**must**__ learn how to shoot, and fight, and make hard decisions. You must protect yourself."_

_"Isn't that what the guards are for?" Santana asks in a bored tone of voice, the teenager brushing her hair out of her face with her hand._

_"Santana," Maribel begins, her voice and features serious as she steps forward, "the guards are here to protect us, yes, but that does not mean we become complacent. If you are given the chance to protect yourself, you must take it. You are just as responsible for your life as the guards are. I mean it, Santana, every opportunity you are give in life, you must grab it. Whether it be life or death, or a way to make money, you must take it." Santana isn't surprised by the passionate speech, but she __**is**__ surprised by the build up of tears in her mother's eyes._

_"Okay, mami, I apologise," Santana murmurs. Maribel sighs heavily and looks away from her daughter, weakly attempting to hide her emotions._

_"Go now, Santana. Shower and eat, we've done enough for today." Santana frowns, her mami had just contradicted herself, but she doesn't press the issue. She's fine with being let go earlier than planned. It means she can go and see Quinn. With a shrug, Santana turns and walks back towards the house, glad that she can finally shower. She stops short when her father steps out of the house, smiling when he winks at her._

_"Good evening, mija," Carlos Lopez smiles tenderly. "How did your target training go?" he questions as he kisses his daughter's forehead._

_"Okay, I guess," Santana shrugs._

_"Practice makes perfect," Carlos tells her. "You'll get there, mija. What seemed to be the problem?"_

_"I'm not taking every opportunity," Santana murmurs. "I think mami is disappointed."_

_"She just wants you to be the best you can be," Carlos tenderly states. "Take every chance that you see, no matter how miniscule, and the better the outcome will be. Every chance, mija. Never give up, there's always an opportunity to be grabbed."_

Santana is thrown backwards when the bathroom door is suddenly thrown open, her body hitting the wall with a sickening thud. She grits her teeth as she slides to the floor again and forces herself up onto her knees. This shit is getting old! Santana attempts to struggle when her face is covered, but the person who grabs her is much stronger than she is. Every muscle in her body screams as she is thrown over someone's shoulder, but she stops struggling. Whoever it is that has her, it'll at least be a fairer fight once she is back on her feet and away from Sylvester's men.

She stiffens when she feels the cool air hit her battered body, but relaxes again when she feels herself being gently placed in a car. Her instincts tell her to not fight...that she's safe. There's loud yelling and gunfire behind them as the car squeals out of the parking lot, and the thick blanket is lifted from her head. It takes her eyes a few seconds to adjust, but they widen as soon as Santana recognises the person sitting next to her.

"Shannon?" Santana gapes at her wife's aunt before looking around at the men sitting in the people carrier. She's pretty sure she recognises them. "What the hell?! How are you here? Who are they?!"

"Quinn will explain everything, Santana," Beiste tells her kindly. "You should rest. You've had a long few days, and it's not over yet."

"Michael?" Santana questions weakly.

"We'll get him."

"When?!"

"There's a rescue operation preparing to take place," Beiste murmurs. "Right now we have to keep moving away from here. The FBI are only two miles behind us, and Sylvester is even closer. There was only an opening to get you. My orders were to get you out of there."

"Who ordered you?! Quinn?" Santana demands. She wants to go back for her child, and she wants to go back for him _now_!

"Your father."

0-00-0

Puck can feel the eyes of the other guards on him as he slumps down into the back of the huge truck that Sam had aquired. Nobody had needed to ask about how he had gotten it, it's obvious he jacked it from some exhausted trucker that had stopped for some rest. The bloodstain in the sleeping cabin above the front seat had confirmed had hoped that the guys would be more focused on the news filtering from Beiste and Santana's father, that they would stop being so furious with him. No such luck. He can understand why they would feel angry about not being kept in the loop, but they should also understand why he couldn't tell them. Their employer had sworn him to secrecy, and doing well in this job requires their trust.

"You can't sit in the front, Brittany." Puck frowns when he hears Quinn's pissed off tone, but he doesn't look in his employer's direction just in case he accidentally makes eye contact with one of the other guards. He doesn't want to distract from the task at hand. Santana may be safe, for now, but Michael isn't. Not yet. They can be pissed at him if they want, just as long as they do their jobs properly at the same time. Karofsky, though, doesn't seem all that offended about it and that doesn't surprise Puck all that much. They've both been with the family for a long time, Karofsky understands how things work. He knows it wasn't personal; just business.

"I hope Santana kicks your ass," Puck hears Brittany grumble to Quinn as the shorter blonde urges her into the back of the truck. He smirks, knowing that Brittany's hope may actually happen. Santana isn't going to be happy about these secrets, especially since the secrets haven't gotten Michael back as of yet. "I don't know why you find that so amusing," Brittany says to Puck as she sits down opposite him. "She's not exactly going to be pleased with you either," she adds. There's no longer any real anger in her voice, though, and her eyes only show relief. It's how they all feel. Santana is safe. Half of their job is complete, and once they get Michael back, they can get to safety.

"I know," he murmurs. He glances sideways at Mike, and easily notices the sadness in his companion's dark eyes. It's unlikely they will get Tina back. Sylvester wants Michael, she has no use for Tina and she is not the type of person to let Tina walk away unscathed.

He turns his gaze to Quinn as she climbs into the back of the truck, slamming the doors closed behind her. She looks more exhausted than he has ever seen her, but there's a light in her hazel eyes that Puck hasn't seen present for weeks. Hope, relief, joy. Puck knows Quinn had lost hope, but now that Santana is okay Quinn, like all of them, just know they can get Michael back, too.

"The meeting point is an hour away," Karofsky states, breaking the newfound silence. "She'll be with us soon." Puck watches as Quinn nods and turns to face Brittany.

"Prepare yourself," he hears Quinn murmur to her. "She's badly hurt, but she'll be okay. Don't be scared, sweetheart." The anger between the two women has completely diminished now, and they join hands. The small group fall into silence, mentally preparing themselves to meet Santana, each of them trying not to think about how close they came to losing her.

0-00-0

Quinn isn't sure what she expected to see, but it's a shock to see Santana being carried by her aunt. Her wife is clearly in no fit state to carry her own weight right now, and it's the most terrifying thing Quinn has ever seen. She had witnessed Santana's vulnerable side several times in the past, but seeing her looking so broken almost breaks her heart.

She rushes forward, not caring about the presence of the guards. She doesn't care that they can see her show of affection, or the tears that stream from her hazel eyes. She only cares about seeing and touching her wife. Quinn reaches her aunt and wife and she immediately cradles Santana's face in her hands. Her eyes roam across her battered body, taking in her blood stained clothes, her bruised arms, her swollen face. Finally, her gaze lands on Santana's eyes and one look into her dark orbs causes tears to leak down her cheeks.

Relief, pain, betrayal, love, anger; the myriad of emotions that are visible makes Quinn want to look away, but she can't physically force herself to do so. Even her aunt's presence, after so many years, can't break their intense eye contact. No words are needed, and no words are able to come out anyway.

Brittany reaches them, and the younger blonde dissolves into floods of tears as she takes in Santana's weakened state. Her shaking hand gently touches Santana's cheek, Santana's silent tears dampening her skin. Santana tries to loosen herself from Beiste's arms, but her body will not allow her to.

"The guards have set up camp," Quinn murmurs as she finally turns her hazel gaze to her aunt. "They got rid of the truck, and the camp is well hidden."

"Okay," Beiste nods before turning to the men with her, jerking her head to tell them to do the same. They need to be hidden. Quinn holds Brittany's hand as they lead the arrivals into the trees towards their camp. It's a fifteen minute walk that is filled with deafening silence. Even Brittany's sniffles are no longer present, but tears still steadily flow from her blue eyes.

Brittany's mind is reeling. So much has happened, and so many secrets have been revealed. She has no idea how to feel, apart from thankful. The only thing she can understand in her confused, information overloaded haze is that Santana is safe. It had seemed impossible, but they have her back with them and she is alive. Battered and bruised, but alive. It feels like a dream, so hard to believe, but it's not. It's real, Santana is safe.

"Open the flap for me," Brittany hears Beiste say, and she realises they have reached the tents. She hadn't even noticed, she had been too lost in her confused, relieved thoughts. Brittany unzips the tent and holds it open as Quinn helps her aunt guide Santana inside, the women laying Santana down on top of Brittany's sleeping bag.

Santana lets out a whimper that breaks Brittany's heart, and she wastes no time in clambering into the tent. She lays on her side bedside Santana and gently lays her hand on her stomach, her thumb drawing soft circles onto Santana's weakened body.

"Thank you," she hears Quinn say, and the raw emotion in her voice is evident. "Thank you," Quinn repeats.

"Go on inside," is Beiste's soft response. "We can talk later, go be with her."

Quinn doesn't say anything as she slips into the tent and zips it closed. Brittany can see the tears in Quinn's eyes, and she's glad that Quinn isn't holding back. The air inside of the tent is thick with emotion, the three women unable to even voice their feelings. There's no need for anything verbal, though. They all know what the others want to say. Quinn lays down on Santana's other side, a mirror image of Brittany as she places her hand beside Brittany's on Santana's stomach.

Santana has fallen into a much needed slumber, and neither women can bear to wake her. As much as they need to clean her up and take care of her injuries, they also need to let her rest. She's been through so much recently, and they're more than content to just lay with her and soak up her presence. Their battle is only half over, but their group can't do anymore until they are rested and clear headed.

There are so many questions that need to be asked, and so many explanations to be offered. No more secrets, no more lies. They have a huge fight ahead of them, and they will run into it head first as a more connected group. They may be the underdogs this time, but that's okay. Every underdog has it's day.

Tonight, they will rest and talk. They will build up their strengh and be honest about everything. They can't rush into this fight. Michael is safe, Sylvester has no plans to harm him and that allows them some time, but he is not where he should be. He should be with his mothers.

Tomorrow, they will get him back. For now, they must take care of Santana.

_**To be continued... One more chapter left, and it's a big one! Please leave a review.**_

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